Welcome back in all you DPC Rebels and resistance fighters. I am back with another Friday 5-Minute Magic Tip. Today, expanding on last 2 weeks of chats about the DPC Mindset, asking if DPC can scale? This is a frequent discussion in the DPC arena and is often listed as one reason DPC will fail–it’ can’t scale. What is the difference between growth and scaling? What is the product of DPC? Can venture capitalists and/or private equity groups scale DPC? Can we replicate DPC in some way? These are the topics for today. A lot to chew on…so let’s GO!
Dr. Purcell is board certified family physician working in Anderson, SC. He received his medical degree from Mercer University in Macon, GA and completed family medicine residency at AnMed Health in Anderson, SC.
After completing his residency, Dr. Purcell worked in a private group practice for 3 years before opening his own cash-only primary care clinic in 2005. As he built his cash-only clinic, he was also working part-time in a local urgent care facility. In 2008, he purchased a dormant medical clinic on the “wrong side of the tracks” and opened an urgent care and primary care clinic. After gaining his freedom from third-party captives, Dr. Purcell and a colleague formed the first direct primary care clinic in Anderson County in 2015. In 2019, he transitioned to full-time direct primary care and sold his urgent care. The direct primary care model has brought about a restoration of a relationship with patients broken by third-party middlemen. Now, he can offer more access and more of his time to patients. Dr. Purcell firmly believes that the direct primary care model is the last hope for health care in America.
Dr. Purcell is an active member of several medical organizations including the DPC Alliance, Free Market Medical Association, and American Academy of Family Physicians. He is the former Chair of the Direct Primary Care Member Interest Group for the AAFP and a founding member of the DPC Alliance and the Carolina’s Free Market Medical Association. He was elected to the Advisory Committee for the DPC Alliance in the Fall of 2018 and completed his term in 2021.
Dr. Purcell is the author of Magic, Pixie Dust, and Miracles: A Guide to Direct Primary Care and Employers which shares how to connect DPC with employers of all sizes. He has spoken about this topic and DPC in general at the DPC Summit, DPC Nuts and Bolts conference, Hint Summit, AAFP FMX, Carolina’s Free Market Medical Association, TedexFurman, and DPC Alliance Mastermind sessions. He continues to speak to residents and student groups about DPC as well.
Can DPC scale? This is a powerful question and states a goal to scale a direct primary care. Dr. Purcell delightfully gave a philosophical answer to this question. However, I would argue that the goal is not the objective rather the systems that are in place that might achieve the end result. Scaling after all is a mathematical equation that is applied to a business not a philosophical one. For example, my clinic went from 0 patients to 1700 in 12 months. The end result is a successful clinic based solely on numbers. How fast can we acquire members, how long does in take, and how much does it cost to do that. If we analyzed and calculated a process that is successful, then we can continue to improve upon if distinct sets of that process and grow each month, each year, and grow that business. There is a formula, a process, a system to grow a company and if you want to call it a successful DPC group, you now have options to add another location and expand the business with the formula that works. If you don’t want to call it scaling DPC, then you can call it – mastering the process of expanding a DPC practice. Focus not on the goal but the process and systems you have in place to achieve the desired outcome. I have always said, physicians are overly focused on semantics rather than real world applications when it comes time to business.
I would like to join the discussion
Can DPC scale? This is a powerful question and states a goal to scale a direct primary care. Dr. Purcell delightfully gave a philosophical answer to this question. However, I would argue that the goal is not the objective rather the systems that are in place that might achieve the end result. Scaling after all is a mathematical equation that is applied to a business not a philosophical one. For example, my clinic went from 0 patients to 1700 in 12 months. The end result is a successful clinic based solely on numbers. How fast can we acquire members, how long does in take, and how much does it cost to do that. If we analyzed and calculated a process that is successful, then we can continue to improve upon if distinct sets of that process and grow each month, each year, and grow that business. There is a formula, a process, a system to grow a company and if you want to call it a successful DPC group, you now have options to add another location and expand the business with the formula that works. If you don’t want to call it scaling DPC, then you can call it – mastering the process of expanding a DPC practice. Focus not on the goal but the process and systems you have in place to achieve the desired outcome. I have always said, physicians are overly focused on semantics rather than real world applications when it comes time to business.