The membership covers unlimited office visits or telehealth visits each month as well as access to their doctors at night and on weekends.Īdditional out-of-pocket expenses include medications and laboratory tests, which the clinic offers at wholesale cost. Reducing the per capita cost of health careīecause of monthly membership costs ranging from $10 for children up to $89 for older adults, the doctors care for a diverse patient panel ranging from uninsured to insured patients of all ages and nationalities.Īlthough insurance plans are not accepted in the DPC model, patients are still encouraged to have an insurance plan for medical services outside of a primary care setting. This clinic even offers same-day urgent care appointments. Patients do not have the same barriers to get their questions answered directly by their doctor compared to a traditional clinic. There is one office manager/medical assistant, the three physicians, and often two medical students rotating at Plum Health, DPC. This also grants physicians more time with their patients to thoroughly address each concern. The lower patient load (500 patients vs ~2,000 patients) in the DPC model, doctors can get to know their patients’ stories, health care goals, and priorities. In many ways, the DPC model is a win-win for both patients and primary care physicians.
The doctors of Plum Health feel fulfilled in their calling to medicine through their collaborative doctor-patient relationships and steady compensation thanks to the flexibility and autonomy built into the DPC model. They shifted to more curbside testing and virtual care for concerns surrounding COVID-19 to ensure the safety of patients who continue to be seen in clinic for typical health care concerns. Some physicians in direct primary care (DPC) practices have especially appreciated the autonomy and flexibility of DPC during a pandemic.ĭPC practices typically offer patients direct, unlimited access to their services, including longer appointment times, for a flat monthly fee, and they don’t bill insurance.Īt Plum Health DPC in Detroit, clinic founder Paul Thomas, MD, and his colleagues Raquel Orlich, DO, and Leslie Rabaut, DO, became more flexible in their health care delivery during the height of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic exaggerated the frustration and exhaustion of physicians within standard health care systems.
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