Is DPC Your Legacy?
We believe in this model. We take the leap, start our practices, cut our salaries, pound the pavement, and accept the uncertainty of not knowing exactly how it will all work out. We push through the first few years, then a few more.
Escaping the W-2 job is a victory. We finally get to practice medicine wholeheartedly, to keep our cups full. But then comes the harder question: what happens at the end of the story?
More and more, I see colleagues on social media asking how to sell their DPC practices. And it raises a difficult reality—what is the actual value of a practice we’ve poured years of sacrifice into? DPC rarely generates enough excess to guarantee a large retirement fund, so many of us inevitably rely on the practice itself. But what’s the plan?
Do you sell to a VC or private equity group, trading your vision for a payout that helps fund your retirement? Do you pass it to another DPC physician, at a lower price, hoping they will honor your values and reputation? Or do you make a deal with a large system—the very one you once escaped—for financial security in exchange for golden handcuffs?
These are the same questions traditional private practice physicians wrestle with, but in DPC the struggle feels different. We are rebels who fought to reclaim medicine, yet we must still figure out how to ensure continuity when it’s time to step aside.
And what about our families? DPC is never a solo act. Our partners often give up financial security, pick up extra jobs, or lose benefits to make this dream possible. Our children tag along to marketing events, help out in the office, and absorb skills—sometimes deciding medicine isn’t their path. So what do we leave for them?
That’s where my own questioning began: What IS my legacy beyond the privilege of practicing in a way that fulfills me? What do I leave for my children, especially if they choose a life outside of medicine—and within the confines of corporate practice of medicine laws?
For us, the answer began with purchasing land and building our own space. At first, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want the headache of property ownership. But then I realized: while the practice itself may have restrictions on how it can be transitioned, real assets—land, buildings, equity—are different. They can become part of a true family legacy. This was relevant and helpful for us, though it may not be the answer for everyone. For you, is it personal branding? Is it consulting? Is it a benefits company? Is it a skincare line? Is it a technology platform or some other intellectual property?
Your practice matters. But so do the assets you build around it. These can become the tangible inheritance for the people who sacrificed alongside you to make your vision real.
So I ask you, as a fellow DPC physician: after all the years of sweat and sacrifice, after the privilege of practicing medicine on your own terms—will that alone be your legacy? Or is it time to build something that endures beyond your story?
Thank you for the humble truth of this. Its great advice to consider additional ways of funding our legacy. Brilliant!
I think in the future DPC will be large enough that instead of selling to VC or hospital systems we will be able to sell to larger DPC groups. Zest pediatrics is building the ground work for large unified physician led DPC practices where I can see them in the future buying clinics under their brand without losing the DPC quality.
My legacy, our legacy? Wow! Powerful! I think “our” work on DPC has just begun. Setting up, practicing in, or selling our DPC is just our job. We can fight for HSA’s for all, we can fight for family medicine exemptions for prior auth to end needless suffering, we can coach, teach, and helps others set up their own DPC practices. Lots to do to end needless suffering.
I had a new patient recently who is a 34 year old dentist and is buying a dental practice from a retiring dentist for about $2 million. They have practiced within a different group for about 3 years before deciding to do this.
It’s interesting to see how other private practice owners have been doing it and dentistry may be a good profession to look into.