Well, while it is great to have another Direct Primary Care practice highlighted in the press, it would be even better if they did not equate Concierge Medicine with Direct Primary Care. They are not the same!
This recent article and newscast from 8 NewsNow in Las Vegas reported that Nevada ranks 48 our of 50 when it comes to the number of doctors per population and how there are other options for medical care outside of the the traditional system. The piece then went on to highlight Vegas Direct Primary Care owned by Dr. Ati Hakimi.
“It’s quality, it’s affordable, it’s completely transparent,” the doctor explained, “there’s no hidden fees. It’s just that flat fee once a month, and people have all access to me.”
Dr. Hakimi had practiced medicine in the traditional system for the last twenty years before opening Vegas Direct Primary Care.
While it is great to have another DPC practice highlighted, it is important that Concierge Medicine and Direct Primary Care not be confused. DPC News has addressed the differences in multiple posts: 1-17-21, 2-12-21, 3-20-21, 5-18-21 and 5-25-21.
The DPC Alliance also does a great job of highlighting these differences.
Aside from the above references stating the differences between Concierge Medicine and Direct Primary , one could also just look at Vegas Direct Primary Care and Dr. Q-VIP Medicine (an actual Concierge practice in Vegas). Sometimes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” The picture at the top of this post is from Dr. Q’s Concierge practice website. That doesn’t look like any DPC practice I’ve ever seen.
Not so fast…….While not all the facts are available on Dr. Q-VIP Medicine, this practice may indeed be DPC. While the site states, “Depending on your insurance, the practice may bill your insurance for medical services rendered,” it discusses membership as a focus. In contrast, traditional concierge practices focus on billing insurance. For example, MDVIP states,
“Most MDVIP-affiliated primary care practices accept insurance (your physician can tell you whether they accept your specific insurance plan). Your annual fee pays for preventive care medical services that insurance usually doesn’t cover (e.g., advanced diagnostic testing and screenings). Your MDVIP-affiliated physician will continue to bill your insurance and charge copays, co-insurances and deductibles as he or she currently does for other medical services like sick visits.”
The real distinguishing factor with Dr. Q’s practice is that he charges $500 a month. That’s triple what even MDVIP usually charges. However, for argument’s sake, let’s assume Dr. Q doesn’t bill insurance. Is he still not DPC? While I understand the media messes this up all the time, I don’t think our focus should be differentiating DPC from concierge. Rather, the point should be that the system is broken and here are how some doctors are getting around this. Then, if you want to explain how most DPC’s unlike most concierge practices are more affordable for the general public and do other things to try to increase the value provided, that’s great.