How the DPC Alliance Started

I am very proud of the DPC Alliance. In 2016, I brought up the need to create this organization amongst a large group of DPC friends. Not everyone agreed with that. Some were not interested or worried and didn’t want to go through with it. However, a bunch of us met again in 2017 to continue the conversation. It happened at the Nuts and Bolts conference as well as online where we discussed how to grow Direct Primary Care and the movement.

I wanted an organization only focused on Direct Primary Care because I felt we should NOT have any person or organization else speaking for us, that being the AAFP, which is now ironic. Here is another picture of the people who met at the Nuts and Bolts those years to have those discussions.

Well, we finally made the decision to go forward. We all put money into the organization out of our own pockets because the cause was too important. Though I was part of the founders who made it successful, it was really others who were responsible for where it is today. There are so many to name who did so much more work than me. I want to name the presidents (Ryan Neuhofel, Julie Gunther, Vance Lassey, and Jeff Davenport) who did and are dong outstanding jobs in their own unique ways. There are dozens and dozens who were also behind the scenes (Amy Walsh, Shane Purcell, Jack Forbush, Mike Ciampi, and so many more). These people were amazing and deserve a million times more credit than me.

But we needed to get the word out and we needed members. That’s when 2018 came around and we decided to crash the AAFP FMX that year. Why the AAFP FMX? Well, that’s where potential members were going. Why the AAFP? Because they were a major part of who we were rebelling against. They represented the system. How you ask? Here is a clip from my 2017 Nuts and Bolts keynote talk that will explain it to you.

So, now you understand some of my issues with the AAFP and why they hate me as well. They have also banned me from speaking at the DPC Summit ever again, reversed that decision just for this past summer, and then demanded that I remove the video of that talk from YouTube when I put it up. I expect to be banned from speaking there again. Don’t worry, I’ll live.

Anyway, the plan was set for New Orleans in 2018. Here is a video and some more pictures from that time. We even got ZDoggMD, who was keynoting the FMX, to mention our little organization.

We had a great party and the rest is history. Yes, we pissed off the organizers of the AAFP though some of them (Shawn Martin and Bethany Burke) even showed up to see what the hell was going on. They were not happy.

From that moment on there were thousands of hours of work done by others who grinded each day to make the DPC Alliance successful. This post is to acknowledge everyone who helped but especially the early ones who will be forgotten. Cheers to all of you and a huge thank you.