Don’t Lead Employers with “DPC Saves Money”

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Today, we talk about your sales pitch to employers. Don’t lead with “DPC saves money.” It probably will, but employers hear this line all the time. The real magic of DPC is the process and mindset of care that far outshines traditional insurance-based primary care: more access, more time, and better navigation of the healthcare system. If we can increase access and time, and provide better navigation, then lower costs will come. Let’s talk about it.

Summary (Grok):

  • Core tip: When pitching Direct Primary Care (DPC) to employers, do not lead with “DPC saves money.” Cost savings are a real downstream result, but opening with them triggers skepticism and a flood of questions.
  • Why money-first pitches fail: Employers constantly hear “saves money” claims from wellness and lower-cost healthcare vendors. It prompts immediate questions about price, insurance compatibility, proof of savings, and guarantees, which can derail the conversation.
  • What to lead with instead: Focus on the real advantages of the DPC model and mindset:
    • Access: Employees can actually get appointments and care when they need it.
    • Time and experience: Longer, more meaningful visits instead of the typical 45-minute wait for a 3-minute appointment.
    • Navigation of the healthcare system: Help guiding people through a confusing, fragmented system dominated by hospital networks and self-referrals.
  • How these benefits reduce costs: Poor access, short visits, and bad navigation drive higher use of urgent care, ERs, excess medications, labs, imaging, and referrals. Better access + time + navigation means less waste, more prevention, better decisions, and ultimately lower costs.
  • Positioning DPC: Present it as a better “front door” to the entire healthcare system and a master coordinator that traditional fee-for-service primary care cannot match (because of limited time and access).
  • Suggested conversation starter: Ask employers, “What happens when your employees can’t access primary care when they need it?” (Answer: urgent care/ER visits, worsening conditions, missed work, hospitalizations, higher costs, or worse.)
  • Bottom line: Sell the process and quality of care (access, time, navigation, prevention). Lower costs follow naturally and become easier to discuss once the value is clear.

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About Shane Purcell, MD

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.