DPC Peer Groups: How Direct Primary Care Doctors Can End Their Isolation

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It was a great National DPC Day. Thank you all for participating. Clubber (above) let me put this shirt on him for a good 2 minutes. The meme image was stolen from the internet, and I do not know the source. Sorry. That being said, it does represent an issue I see in the Direct Primary Care word, that being isolation.

The image is partly true for me, as I am retired, but even when I was practicing DPC, it was kind of lonely. The only good thing I had when I worked in the system was working with three great friends. I missed that terribly in DPC. It may have been an anomaly, however, as when I did one year as an independent contractor, those doctors wanted nothing to do with me, and they were just miserable people.

Back to the story. I have often said in my lectures that DPC docs need to group up in small numbers and stay connected in any way they can. This helped me tremendously. About a dozen of us early DPC adopters have been hanging out and talking via Slack for over a decade. They helped me with my practice, but the social piece was probably more important. Many of us even vacation together. They are my best friends. Sorry, Clubber.

So, where am I going with this? I don’t know. Even though I write about and lecture about having DPC Social Peer Groups, it really hasn’t materialized. I have spoken with the DPC Alliance, and I think they are intrigued. Maybe offering and matching small groups at the DPC Summit would be a start. Who knows?

Ryan Neuhofel, DO is doing something really cool with DPC Hub.

It’s a really cool project, and he isn’t profiting from it. Maybe he will include a DPC Peer Social Group section, but being all virtual is not the answer (for anything). People need to physically connect (in an appropriate way).

No one else really talks about this issue, so I wanted to bring it up on DPC News. Loneliness sucks.

I am putting this out into the universe so that it may gain steam. I believe there are lonely DPC docs out there that need friends and support.

Let’s see where this goes.

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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.