Frequently Asked Questions

As of September 1, 2024, the practice is currently closed to new patients, but plans to re-open on a limited basis in early 2025. Please check back for updates.

DPC refers to Direct Primary Care. It is an increasingly popular alternative health care model which links patients directly to their doctor. Rather than bill insurance companies for services, the practice charges a monthly membership fee. This greatly reduces the total number of patients under the care of the doctor, simplifies operations, and reduces administrative burden, leading to an improved patient and doctor experience.  

Your membership includes an annual male or female preventative care visit, nutrition and wellness counseling, unlimited office or telehealth visits for acute or chronic issues, extended appointment times (30-60min), easy scheduling, communication via phone/text/email, discounted cash pricing for labs/imaging, optional home visits, and much more. See Membership Benefits page and take a look at the "Top 10 Favorite Things" videos.

In order to simplify operations and to keep overhead costs low, the practice does not bill insurance for any services provided by this clinic. However, a patient may still use their insurance for labwork, imaging, medications, and referrals to specialists. Patients with Medicare enjoy the same membership benefits with their monthly fee.

Yes! Patients can certainly use their insurance for labwork, medicines at the pharmacy, imaging tests, and referrals. Those facilities will bill insurance just like they would normally do. In addition, patients can review the discounted cash pay rate for labwork and imaging tests. Sometimes, this can be less expensive than what the out-of-pocket cost would be even with insurance!

It is highly recommended you retain some type of health insurance to cover very expensive events like ER visits and surgeries, as well as visits to specialists. A high-deductible health insurance plan is usually cost-effective, but doesn’t provide any benefits until you reach the deductible, which can be $5,000-$10,000. These type of plans pair well with a DPC practice which aim to keep your out-of-pocket costs low. A regular PPO insurance plan also works great with a DPC practice.

The two models share many similarities and benefits. However, direct care practices do not bill insurance whereas concierge practices usually bill insurance and also charge a high monthly fee for membership. Additionally, concierge practices tend to cater to higher-income people, whereas DPC practices aim to reach people of all economic backgrounds.

Many physicians in traditional practices have a large number of patients and are seeing 20+ per day, leading to many appointments being only 15 minutes. Due to the busy nature of the practice, talking directly to the doctor outside of an appointment is very difficult or impossible. Additionally, with the nationwide shortage of primary care providers, it can be difficult to find a doctor taking new patients at all. There are also cost savings through discounted medicines, labs, and imaging with the membership.  

PacificDPC wants to ensure a stellar patient experience. To do this, there is a limit to the practice size (about 1/10th the normal patient panel size of a traditional practice) so that scheduling of urgent issues can be done same day or next day.  

Yes you can! It turns out that many issues don’t require an office visit. Quick questions or follow-up information can easily be addressed by phone, email, or text. More complicated topics or issues that require a physical exam will necessitate an office visit (in-person or telehealth). 

Time off is an important part of maintaining balance in life.  Communication will be sent in advance of vacation time, and arrangements will be made for another DPC practice to cover for issues that can't wait. 

For complex medical issues or conditions that have not responded to the usual treatments, referrals will be placed to the appropriate specialist(s). The practice coordinates care with the specialist and provides them with relevant medical information. Consultation notes are reviewed when available and follow-up care is set up as needed. Visits to specialists, procedures, surgeries, and ER visits are outside the scope of this membership and are subject to the terms of your health insurance plan.

Not at this time. In the future, there may be an option for non-members to be seen for a single visit. 

Absolutely. This is not meant to be a 2 or 3 year cell phone contract. Your membership will continue until the last day of the month in which you cancel. You may re-enroll if there is still space in the practice, but will be subject to the enrollment fee again.

Yes, there may be a group discount for local businesses depending on size. Please contact us for more information.

Schedule a meet-and-greet using the Contact Us page. This is a no-obligation FREE session to get a better sense of the practice and if it is the right fit for you.