It is a business model where you pay a fixed monthly fee for unlimited access to your doctor and access to discounts on labs/imaging/certain prescription medications. DPC practices do not bill third-party payers (commercial health insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, etc.), which means that the patient is fully responsible for the cost of any care that isn’t included in the membership fee.

Concierge medicine and direct primary care (DPC) are two independent healthcare models that have minimal differences. The differences mostly involve contract terms, fees, and insurance coverages. While concierge practices may participate with insurance plans, DPC practices do not. DPC focuses on avoiding insurance to lower overhead and keep costs down, while concierge care focuses on providing value-added services outside of the bounds of things usually covered by insurance. Concierge medicine is more expensive and exclusive, while DPC is a more affordable and accessible option for comprehensive primary care services.

As the membership fee covers your primary care needs only, it is recommended, but not required, that you have health insurance that would cover unexpected, expensive healthcare costs. Usually, a high deductible/catastrophic-type plan or a medical cost-sharing program will complement the services offered by this practice without duplicating coverage.