Frequently Asked Questions

Direct Primary Care allows you to have a direct relationship with your doctor. For the equivalent of a monthly cell phone bill, you can receive direct, primary health care services that are tailored to your individual needs. From your annual check-up to urgent care needs to general questions about staying healthy, Direct Primary Care offers you access to care across a spectrum of needs.

Yes, that’s what we do! We still recommend that you maintain insurance coverage in the case of an emergency or need for hospital care. You may be able to change your policy to reflect this change in required services.

You won’t have to pay a co-pay for office visits or routine physicals. Also you’ll be able to avoid many visits altogether by sending your questions directly to us via email and text – something you won’t get from a traditional practice. We’ve negotiated amazing deals for prescription medications, blood tests,  and radiology tests on your behalf. If we had contracts with insurance companies, we would be legally obligated to charge higher prices.

More importantly, since you are getting all this amazing care from us, you can cut way back on your insurance premiums. Most DPC patients find a high-deductible, low-premium insurance plan so they’re covered in the case of a major health issue. But leave the rest of your healthcare to us.

The terms are often mistakenly used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Both DPC and concierge practices charge a periodic fee, however, under the concierge model, this fee only gets you access; that is, it doesn’t actually cover any of your care. Instead a concierge practice still bills insurance for your visits. Under DPC, your visits and other care are included in your fee, plus you’re provided with other incredible benefits like wholesale pricing for labs and radiology studies, deeply discounted prescription prices, direct digital communication with your doctor, and the other benefits seen on our website.

We do not see non-members. The purpose of our practice is to be available for our patients and membership gives us the opportunity to take calls and emails and spend meanigful time with our patients. Membership gives our patients incentive to reach out early when they have a problem and allows the physician to focus on that individuals care.  In most healthcare practices, the physician only gets paid when people are sick which made us ask, shouldn’t someone have an incentive to keep people well? Since we are invested in the wellness of our patients, one-time visits do not fit our model.

Physical exams and well- baby visits, acute sick-call visits, chronic disease management (examples are high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, depression, anxiety, cancer prevention and co-management), preventative health education, prenatal health optimization and obstetrical care up to 16 weeks, specialty coordination and referrals, limited in-clinic laboratory testing (urinalysis testing and provider-performed microscopy), EKG performance/interpretation, suturing of lacerations, ultrasound-assisted physical exam and blood pressure monitoring.

By providing superb care with unrestricted access and a functional approach, we hope to prevent or reduce hospitalizations and subspecialty referrals. If they’re needed we will work closely with your specialists. 

Absolutely.  One of the best aspects of a DPC clinic is the opportunity for prevention.  Our goal is to prevent disease rather than react to disease.  Screenings and prevention are key components to long and healthy lives.  We can keep you on track through lifestyle changes, specifically targeting diet, exercise and sleep hygiene.

The short answer is only at your request through HIPPA appropriate channels. We firmly beleive that your medical record belongs to you and you decide who gets to see it.

Not yet!  Under Washington State current legislation for practicing Direct Primary Care clinics, as well as current Medicare and Medicaid mandates, physicians and patients cannot file for reimbursement of services provided by a Direct Primary Care practice.  Currently, legislation is being presented under the Affordable Care Act, which if/when approved, would allow patients to pay their membership fees to Direct Primary Care clinics via their Health Savings Accounts (HSA).