I am pretty knowledgeable about the DPC universe. I want to give some advice to those thinking about doing DPC. You need to look at what others are doing before making two big mistakes. They are:
- Charging too much of a monthly rate.
- Taking on too many patients.
There is a reason that most DPC docs have around the same number of patients (600). There is a reason that DPC docs use age-based pricing or family number-based pricing. And there is a reason those prices are similar.
I have seen young DPC docs charging two to three times the average monthly rate and then hear them complain that they don’t have enough patients. Duh. Remember how DPC was supposed to be the affordable option to the fee-for-service system?
I have seen young DPC docs run the numbers in their head and tell me if they just take on 800 patients then they will really rake it in. Yes, and you will go back to what you left in the fee-for-service system: more visits and shorter visits. Congrats, you just broke the DPC model.
I understand that certain locations and demographics change things. That being said, don’t get cocky and let greed take over your calling to do Direct Primary Care. You will make a great living but you don’t need to exclude people by socioeconomic status and you don’t need to turn your practice into a mill where you are running patients through like cattle. We left that world for a reason.
I really want to find a DPC physician in my state but the handful that exist within a 25 mile radius to me are close to $200/month. Monthly fees in several of these practices offer “perks” I am not interested in, such as cosmetic procedures, alternative med, and TCM. Other less costly and gimmicky DPC practices are part of a large group with 11 locations, the one closest to me has 1 PCP who is only there twice a week.
Where are you from?
I’m in Morris County in northern NJ as of 7/1/2022. Prior to that, I was near Ridgewood, NJ. The DPC practice close to me here is $200/month.
Just read your article about DPC docs asking if potential employees know what DPC is. Two days ago I saw a job posting on social media for a front desk/medical assistant for Plaza Wellness in Fair Lawn. That was the only info given. The few comments asked for an address. I looked up Plaza Wellness and it’s a Direct Primary Care practice! It never came up in prior searches for a DPC doctor. Before moving here, I lived 10 minutes away from Plaza Wellness. Would have loved to either work for them or sign up as a patient.