“DPC United” Will Educate Healthcare System and Rest of Nation on Benefits of Direct Primary Care
In 2014, the owners of the nation’s pioneering, independent Direct Primary Care (DPC) medical practices saw a need to unite the various types of DPC practices that were growing across the nation. DPC United was created to give the primary care industry hope, courage, and resources in the pursuit of Direct Primary Care, as well as to educate society on how Direct Primary Care can potentially heal American healthcare.
JUNE 17, 2014 – A new model of healthcare rapidly gaining popularity, Direct Primary Care (DPC), now has a formal medical association. The association, DPC United, founded by a group of pioneering physicians with DPC practices of their own, created the organization to promote the innovative DPC practice model to the nation.
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“Direct Primary Care is one of the most exciting trends in healthcare today, and it has the true potential to solve many of our country’s healthcare problems,” says Dr. Samir Qamar, DPC United’s Chairman and CEO of the nation’s largest Direct Primary Care physician group, MedLion Management, Inc. “It was time to create a guiding light for doctors and consumers interested in this promising healthcare model.”
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The Direct Primary Care practice model is one where primary care doctors, such as family physicians and general internists, contract directly with consumers and businesses for very low fees, making health insurance unnecessary for commonly-used primary care. Health insurance is then used like most insurance plans, just for major expenses. The combination, also explained in the new Affordable Care Act, results in dramatic savings for consumers, along with services like telemedicine and shorter waits. Industry experts are quick to point out that DPC is neither health insurance, nor the pricier “concierge medicine” practice model. Several states, including Washington and Louisiana, have introduced legislation to support Direct Primary Care.
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Attorney Michael McClelland, DPC United’s Executive Director and former Chief Prosecutor of California State Department of Managed Health Care, says it was time to form guiding principles to create an accepted standard for the DPC practice model. “The appeal of the DPC model is very strong from both practice and business perspectives. One of the organization’s goals is to ensure that practices endorsed by DPC United are properly set up as DPC practices to create consumer confidence.”
DPC United’s website, DPCUnited.org, features an online directory of established Direct Primary Care practices from across the nation, along with informational resources for consumers and doctors alike. A special section for press inquiries makes it easier for members of the media to reach industry leaders. According to officials, the online database will be updated weekly, creating the first such official listing of Direct Primary Care medical practices.
The nation’s largest primary care organization, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), is an open supporter of the Direct Primary Care model, with a formal policy outlined on its official website. DPC Coalition, another DPC organization, focuses on Direct Primary Care policy and legislative advocacy. DPC United, in contrast, will provide resources for Direct Primary Care physicians and consumers.
“Direct care provides an affordable, cost effective and straightforward relationship with a doctor. It is also a life-line to those primary care physicians across America considering alternative business structures for their practices,” said DPC Journal Editor-In-Chief, Michael Tetreault. “AAFP’s support and discussion about this growing model of health care feeds the appetite of the physician community-at-large and educate consumers of all ages.”
Dr. Josh Umbehr, a DPC United Board Member and founder of Kansas-based Atlas MD, says, “Direct Primary Care has finally found traction with patients, physicians, employers, and insurance companies alike. However, DPC is still in its adolescence and it’s vital, now more than ever, that we have unity and clear leadership to guide the movement in the right direction.”
Primary care doctors and patients are encouraged to visit the website, learn more about Direct Primary Care, and spread the word to employers, friends, and healthcare workers.
“With Direct Primary Care, we can affect real, sustainable change at every level of healthcare. By repairing primary care, the foundation of a strong healthcare system, America can once again enjoy good health,” remarks Dr. Qamar.
