Yeah, No. They Don’t Get it.

Posted on by

I saw this image on LinkedIn and laughed. As an employed physician, I remember all the ways we family doctors were told we were losing money. In fact, we had to be “subsidized” in order to make up for it. In other words, we should get on our hands and knees and thank them for even employing us.

One time, I was able to get a peek at our budget. I saw names on there that didn’t even work in the office. They were administrators. Huh? I wanted to dig deeper, but couldn’t get a closer look. It didn’t matter. I knew what they were doing. The whole thing was a shell game, but they used it against us in contract time. Oh, and why would a hospital system even hire family doctors if we were losing money? That sounds fiscally stupid. The answer is that they fudged the budget, and they also made tons of money when we referred patients into the system.

Back then, I didn’t care. Now I do.

After starting my DPC practice years ago and helping others in their journey, I now understand what things cost. And that image above is total bullsh%t. It’s just another DPC Myth as in “you can’t afford to start your own practice.”

I believe you all would agree, but I am asking for your help to help others.

SO I NEED A FAVOR

Please list (estimate) your monthly: rent, staff cost, supplies, billing and admin, EHR/IT, and malpractice in the comments. I will try to average them out and share in another post.

Thank you!!

9

About Douglas Farrago, MD

Dr. Farrago is a retired family physician based in Forest, Virginia. Since 2021, he has run DPCnews.com, a leading resource for the Direct Primary Care (DPC) movement. He is the author of three best-selling books on Direct Primary Care: The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice The Direct Primary Care Doctor’s Daily Motivational Journal Slowing the Churn in Direct Primary Care (While Also Keeping Your Sanity) In 2016, Dr. Farrago conceived the idea for the Direct Primary Care Alliance and co-founded the organization alongside other pioneering DPC physicians. He is widely recognized as a leading expert in the DPC model and frequently lectures to medical students, residents, and practicing physicians on how to successfully start and run their own DPC practices.Dr. Farrago sold his Direct Primary Care practice in October 2020 but continues to receive care there as a patient.