Will Subscription Fatigue Hurt Direct Primary Care?

When I started my DPC practice in 2014, my biggest barrier was subscription acceptance. I had to educate the local community about the concept of Direct Primary Care and explain that it was a membership. Membership = Subscription. This was not easy, as central Virginia had no clue what I was talking about.

Somehow, in the last twelve years, everything became a damn subscription, and I am personally sick of it. Recently. I bought some gadget that seemed pretty cool and found out later that to continue to get use out of it, I need to pay monthly. Why? There was no logical reason other than greed. The other day I saw a cool boxing gadget on FB that you hook on your wrists, and it could estimate the number of punches as well as the amount of power you attain when you hit a heavy bag. I was intrigued. The price was reasonable, but……a freaking subscription was needed. Now, why in the hell would there need to be a subscription for two metrics that the damn thing was measuring?

I looked up an article on subscription fatigue and found these factors (I edited it some):

What Factors Contribute to Subscription Fatigue?

The Overwhelming Number of Subscription Services

With countless subscription services now available across various industries, consumers may be faced with a bewildering number of options. This abundance can lead to decision paralysis, leaving users feeling mentally exhausted.

Financial Strain from Subscriptions

Ongoing subscription costs can accumulate, leading to financial strain or impulsive decision-making. When users question the value or necessity of their subscriptions, it can contribute to subscription fatigue.

Lack of Perceived Value from Subscriptions

Subscription fatigue can occur when users are disenchanted with their subscriptions and do not perceive sufficient value or benefit from them. This disengagement can lead to reduced satisfaction and loyalty.

Difficulty Managing Multiple Subscriptions

Subscribing to multiple services can create challenges in tracking billing cycles, payment dates, and login credentials, leading to administrative burdens and mental exhaustion.

Unforeseen Commitments and Obligations

Sometimes, consumers may unknowingly subscribe to a service or be caught off guard by unexpected commitments or obligations, leading to subscription fatigue as they try to disentangle themselves from unwanted subscriptions.

Unpredictable Service Quality

If a subscription service experiences fluctuations in the quality of content, customer service, or technical performance, subscribers may become disheartened and fatigued. Inconsistent service quality can erode trust and lead to subscription fatigue over time.

This is not good for people running a Direct Primary Care practice. It is now a barrier to joining and a factor adding to churn. To reverse-engineer the above you truly need to do the following:

1. Cut down on the financial strain. Don’t OVERCHARGE! There are easy ways to find an affordable monthly fee that works for your community without getting greedy.
2. Show the value of your practice and keep reminding patients of it with follow-up emails to see how they are doing, explaining to patients how much they saved on procedures or labs, sending out weekly newsletters, etc. I just did a lecture on this, but you can find my book here if you need more information to slow the churn in your practice.
3. Make sure your service quality is outstanding. Be so good they can’t ignore or forget you. You would be surprised how often this is the factor in DPC practices closing.

I think subscription fatigue is real and a possible problem for DPC. Heck, you all must be tired of every media app for television needing one. Or, how about the NFL being on 5 different stations each week so you cannot watch them all?

There you have it. You have been warned. Be careful what you buy, as it may include a subscription, and most importantly, understand that patients now are tired of it all as well.