On May 14 and 15th, the first of 8 DPC Alliance Mastermind Events kicked off in Wichita Falls, TX, with our two hosts DPC Alliance Secretary Kissi Blackwell, MD of Clarity Direct Care in Wichita Falls, TX and DPC Alliance President Julie Gunther, MD of sparkMD in Boise, ID. We had a sold out event and gathered 15 attendees and 11 seasoned DPC physicians under one enormous roof for the sole purpose of discussing the ins and outs of DPC practice. We started the event with a welcome dinner on Friday night at Dr. Blackwell’s parents Dr. Oscar and Rosa Torres’s home (Texoma DPC in Burkburnett, TX) where the attendees and hosts got to know each other.

The next morning, our CME event began with start up stories from Dr. Blackwell and Creighton Shute, DO of Elite DPC in Lafayette, Louisiana; two strikingly different start up stories but ultimately two successful DPC practices. We went on to discuss the nuts and bolts of running a DPC practice and later heard from graphic designer Alexandra Torres of Care ID careid.us regarding the importance of consistent branding and website creation. She has branded 10 DPC practices across the country and gave our attendees invaluable information about what to look for in a good brand. Dr. Blackwell’s patients came in after lunch to tell their own stories and ultimately stole the show thanking Dr. Blackwell in ways she never imagined and bringing her to tears, giving our attendees a glimpse inside a successful practice. Two of her patients were local business owners Troy Secord of SLA Architects and Pastor Ron Downing of Colonial Church. They gave some invaluable feedback about why they pay for their employees to see Dr. Blackwell, and the attendees had some great questions about how to secure businesses in a DPC practice. The day continued with two of Dr. Blackwell’s personal bankers Jim Johnson and Paul Rodriguez of First Bank, and we discussed the basics of financing a practice, including various types of loans and lines of credit, and how they can be used to build a practice or purchase a building.

We finished the day by splitting up into two groups, separating the established practices from the ones not quite open yet. Breakout sessions were led by Dr. Blackwell and Dr. Gunther and lots more nuts and bolts of running day to day practice were discussed as well as how to grow and expand scope of practice. The day ended with an amazing brisket dinner prepared by Dr. Blackwell’s husband and an evening of networking and camaraderie, just as all DPC events should end. We were proud to put on an amazing CME event and look forward to seven more events over the course of 2021. Come join us! dpcalliance.org/masterminds.

(Editor’s Note: Why do we support the DPC Alliance? Because they are nonprofit. Because they are doing these MASTERMINDS to promote the DPC movement instead of each INDIVIDUAL. Because we all should be part of the something that represents us all and the DPC Alliance can do that. They are us.)