In the current healthcare environment, strong one-on-one contact with one’s physician can seem like the relic of a bygone era. Crunched by a nationwide shortage of primary care doctors, most providers are forced to see several dozen patients a week. Anything beyond a quick meeting between doctor and patient can be hard to come by.
However, a non-traditional model is known as direct primary care, or DPC is seeking to change that. Unlike the fee-for-service approach that most providers use, the best direct primary care doctors in Charlotte, NC charge their patients a flat monthly rate. Many of these physicians work with patients on the individual health market. But some also partner with employers and insurance companies.
Doctors who employ a cash-only model lead to spend more time talking with patients – often via phone or email. Those are ventures that aren’t paid in the standard healthcare paradigm, so there’s no real financial incentive to spend much time on out-of-the-office interactions.
DPC practitioners say they’re more likely to follow up with patients and handle chronic ailments in a hands-on fashion. And that, they argue, leads to better long-term health outcomes, especially for those with complicated medical histories.
Direct primary care may sound a lot like concierge medicine, but there’s an important difference. The latter is marketed to more affluent patients, with monthly fees often running several hundred dollars or more a month. DPC is a more affordable model, with rates typically running anywhere from $25 to $90 a month.