Direct Primary Care is a healthcare delivery model in which the primary relationship is directly between the patient and the doctor. It is an alternative to the traditional insurance-based, fee-for-service model. In general, direct primary care offers greater access and more personalized care to patients in exchange for direct payments from the patient on a monthly or yearly contract.
Physicians can evaluate the needs and wants of their unique patient populations and practice medicine accordingly. Patients relying on a direct primary care practice can generally expect all primary care services covered, including care management and care coordination seven-day-a-week, around the clock access to doctors, same-day appointments, office visits of at least 30 minutes, basic in office tests at no additional charge.
Because patients have unlimited access to their physician, it has been shown that patients in a direct primary care practice receive a higher quality of care, that is personalized resulting in healthier and more satisfied patients.