Some DPC News in DPC News
The stories keep coming out about Direct Primary Care. We are always surveilling the media and wanted to share some recent DPC-centric stories with you with AI summaries:
Data from over 2,700 DPC clinicians and 1.4 million members show that DPC has evolved from a niche alternative into a significant part of the national healthcare infrastructure. DPC News will release more of these stats in future posts.
Concierge Medicine Was Built For The Few. Here’s How To Open It To The Many
Author Dr. Eve Cunningham argues that Medicare’s new Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM) codes (launched 2025) can democratize these concierge-like elements at scale by providing predictable per-patient monthly payments for 24/7 access, care coordination, and population health management, with higher tiers for complex and low-income patients, without requiring patient retainers. Success will require partnerships with tech-enabled care organizations to handle the operational demands, potentially transforming primary care from reactive to proactive for a much broader population. Yeah, this is not a joke. It’s the same old attempt by these “experts” who cannot figure out what DPC is.
Losing health insurance? Here are ways to cut medical bills
This is behind a paywall but the author discusses how rising numbers of Americans dropping health insurance due to high costs, the piece highlights practical ways uninsured individuals can lower medical bills, profiling David Contorno, whose family of six has gone without conventional coverage for eight years while managing expenses through cash-pay strategies. Key tactics include joining direct primary care (DPC) practices with affordable monthly membership fees for unlimited access and basic services; shopping aggressively for prescriptions using tools like GoodRx, Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs, pharmacy comparisons, and manufacturer coupons (e.g., reducing one drug from $600 to $25/month); negotiating discounts directly with hospitals and providers upfront or after billing; and using free or sliding-scale clinics. These approaches allow cash-paying patients to access care more affordably outside traditional insurance
What I wish I knew in residency about direct primary care
In this piece, direct primary care (DPC) physician and advocate Philip Eskew, DO, shares insights for residents considering the model. DPC involves a monthly membership fee (typically $50–$100 for adults) that covers primary care services with little to no insurance billing, distinguishing it from higher-priced concierge practices. Eskew highlights major upsides: more time for broad-scope care, strong patient relationships, price transparency, reduced administrative burnout (he spends ~65% of his time on direct patient care), and the ability to serve motivated patients while emphasizing prevention and education. He notes nearly 3,000 DPC practices exist in three main forms (pure, hybrid, employer on-site) and recent IRS guidance now allows HSA funds for qualifying DPC fees. Challenges include educating patients, some remaining bureaucratic hurdles like prior authorizations for specialists, and addressing perceptions of accessibility. Eskew encourages residents to explore DPC early as a way to reclaim joy in medicine.
DPC continues to roll on, and we’ll keep sharing this information with you.
50 to 100 bucks a month per person is untenable in some economically depressed areas so beware of setting up a practice in the “wrong geographical place”. Nice work if one can get it though. Will limit to where one can go and need to keep that in mind. Probably better to attach oneself to an established DPC practice that is screaming for more Docs. Don’t know if that condition exists but might be the best place to explore to get involved with that model.