Ah, Direct Primary Care. It is the breath of fresh air the system needs. Simple, beautiful, efficient, patient-centered. All things the fee-for-service model cannot say, no matter how hard it tries. If you are reading this, you’ve either made the jump or are strongly considering DPC. Congrats!

Much (almost too much, in my opinion) has been written, said, and posted about everyone’s “story” of how they got into DPC. While inspiring, I can promise you this is not another one of those posts. Also, there are quite a few free resources out there in our extremely supportive DPC community willing to help you take the jump or further grow your brand and practice. Again, this is not one of those posts. This is strictly an opinion piece from one who has been lurking on the DPC sidelines since my first year of medical school and observed the ebbs, flows, and trends.

I am very grateful for all of what has been put out there for up and coming DPC docs like myself, as well as humbled to be a small part of an inspiring community of peers. However, the time has come to take DPC to the next level. As I see it, we are in need of a 3rd wave of the DPC movement.

The first wave, aka the OG’s of DPC, are starting to retire. They were the trail blazers from day 1. They saw where the system was at that time and where it was headed then took matters into their own hands. True visionaries. The world doesn’t change without people like them. I put them in the same category as Gates, Jobs, and Musk.

The next wave are very well known in the DPC circles, with somewhat of a cult following that seemingly grows monthly. They are very popular and give all the free advice you can ask for through blogs, published books, masterclasses, start-up guides, et al. They further lay the groundwork in multiple arenas upon which the next wave will continue to build.

A third wave is needed. We are on a linear model but need to be exponential. Thankfully, a strong foundation has been poured. There is strength in numbers. The problem with us DPC docs is that “once you’ve seen one DPC clinic, you’ve seen one DPC clinic.” We all thrive in doing it our own way, on our own time, but we need to throw some weight behind our numbers to secure the future of DPC and the wellbeing of our patients.

So, I guess this turned into a call to join the DPC Alliance or something. That was not my intent but as I was typing, it made sense. Together, we can literally change the world. Be proactive. The only limits life has on it, are the ones we put on it.

The first 2 questions I am always asked are “how tall are you” and “did you play basketball.” Well, I’m 6’7” and yes, I played basketball in college. Now that’s out of the way, lets get down to the good stuff. I am currently a resident at St. Anthony North Family Medicine Residency in Denver, CO. I’ve been drinking the DPC juice since 1st year of medical school and have been lurking on the sidelines, watching and learning from others that are doing since then. I’ve started my own DPC clinic 1/2 way through residency (Strive Direct Health) and am loving “moonlighting for myself”. All in all – DPC is the way of the future. We all know that. Now we just have to make sure the world sees it that way!