You “burn” three things when you open a DPC office

I love riddles. Here is one of my favorites…

You are in a dark room with a candle, a wood stove, and a gas lamp. You only have one match, so what do you light first?

The match. 

Most of us have had the fire of DPC burning for a while. For some, the motivation is better care for their patients; for others, it’s improving the healthcare system; and for others, it is a healthier lifestyle. Likely, it’s a combination of each of those. That goes to say, the match has already been lit. But what happens next? 

Following are the three things that you will find yourself “burning” as you start your own DPC practice: 

Your savings. Be prepared for this. It’s going to cost a little bit to open a practice. It doesn’t need to cost a lot, but it is an investment…like most worthwhile things are. Focus on what allows and improves patient care. The frills can come later.

Bridges. You will feel like you are burning bridges when you open up your practice. Umm, kind of, but not really. You will have to turn in your notice that you are leaving to your employer and that may feel like you’re burning a bridge, but you’re escaping the system not necessarily the people. You can, and likely should, keep in touch with and still be friends with everybody at your practice. Some of them may even want to join you on your endeavor to provide better care. (My nurse did). You can still refer to all the specialists in town, but now you will have more freedom to refer to who you would like and to get to know the local specialists better so you can best tailor your referrals to the needs of your patients. 

Lifeboats. I recommend you do this one! We have seen over the years that when someone opens up a DPC office on the side to see if it “takes off” that they often fail. You need to commit. Burn the lifeboats and make that DPC ship float!

Starting a DPC practice can be scary at times, but you’re not just burning things. You are lighting a fire. A fire that will provide much needed light and warmth to your community, your family and to yourself! As expressed by Eleanor Roosevelt, “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”