Momentum Growing for Direct Primary Care

It is clear from attendees and speakers at the 2022 HINT Summit (#HINTSummit) that there is growing enthusiasm and momentum for Direct Primary Care in the US. I have honestly never been to a healthcare conference where physicians were this excited about anything.

Direct Primary Care

The American Academy of Family Physicians defines Direct Primary Care (DPC) as:

A practice and payment model where patients/consumers pay their physician or practice directly in the form of periodic payments for a defined set of primary care services. DPC practices typically charge patients a flat monthly or annual fee, under terms of a contract, in exchange for access to a broad range of primary care and medical administrative services.

The DPC model began to take root in a decade ago with a handful of practices in various states. Growth was slow in those early days as those pioneers figured out how to navigate a world without healthcare insurance and large referral networks.

But as the model took hold, more and more primary care physicians took notice.

Momentum Growing

In the opening presentation the team from HINT presented a map that showed the location of all the DPC clinics in the US. There aren’t that many…but significantly more than when they first started tracking.

It wasn’t that long ago that there were only a few dots on this map representing DPC physicians/clinics in the US #hintsummit #HITsm #DPCinDenver pic.twitter.com/g9BZeAdakA

— Colin Hung (@Colin_Hung) June 8, 2022

Further proof of the public’s awareness of DPC as an alternative option to fee-for-service primary care, was provided via Google search data which shows a significant increase in the number of searches for the term.

Further proof that Direct Primary Care is gaining momentum…the increase in Google searches. I wonder if it is physicians doing the searching to find an exit to the existing system or patients looking for a new care format. #hintsummit @HintHealth #HITsm pic.twitter.com/75HfKS2KMA

— Colin Hung (@Colin_Hung) June 8, 2022

The strongest evidence came from the growth in members experienced by DPC practices:

Bibb Beale, CEO of Frontier Direct Care summed it up succinctly:

The demand for Direct Primary Care is growing faster than supply. It’s fueling sustainable growth – Bibb Beale CEO @FrontierDirect #hintsummit pic.twitter.com/KYofg0xZMh

— Colin Hung (@Colin_Hung) June 8, 2022

Promising Future

In the early days of DPC, there were concerns about financial viability of the model. With the growing number of successful practices that are celebrating their 5^th, 6^th and even 7^th year in business, it is clear that when properly managed, DPC practices can thrive.

Most promising was the number of residents and new graduates in the audience at the 2022 HINT Summit. You could not ask for clearer indication that DPC has a promising future when future physicians are looking to this model right out of the gate.