The difference between concierge medicine and direct primary care
Direct primary care (DPC) is a term often associated with its companion in health care, “concierge medicine.” Although the two terms are similar and belong to the same family, concierge medicine is a term that fully encompasses or “includes” many different models of health care delivery, direct primary care being one of them.
similarities
Similar in philosophy to its concierge medicine lineage, DPC practices eschew insurance and seek a more ‘direct’ financial relationship with patients while also providing comprehensive care and preventive services for an affordable fee. However, DPC is just one branch in the concierge medicine family tree.
DPC, like concierge care practices, removes many of the financial barriers to “accessing” care whenever care is needed. There are no insurance copays, deductibles, or coinsurance fees. DPC practices also rarely accept insurance payouts, avoiding the overhead and complexity of maintaining relationships with insurers, which can eat up as much as $0.40 of every medical dollar spent (see sources below).
differences
According to sources (see below), DPC is a “mass-market variant of concierge medicine, distinguished by its low prices.” In a nutshell, the biggest difference between ‘direct primary care’ and retention-based practices is that DPC charges a low flat fee, while models (although plans may vary by practice) generally charge an annual retention fee. and promise more ‘access’ to the doctor.
According to Concierge Medicine Today (MDNewsToday)the first official media outlet in this market, both health care models provide affordable and cost-effective health care to thousands of patients across the US. MDNewsToday it is also the only known organization that officially tracks and collects data on these practices and physicians, including the precise number of concierge physicians and practices across the US.
“This primary care business model [direct primary care] it gives these types of providers the time to provide more personalized care to their patients and pursue a comprehensive medical home approach,” said Norm Wu, chief executive officer of Seattle, Washington-based Qliance Medical Management. provider incentives are fully aligned with the patient incentive.
References and sources
“Doc This Way!: Tech-Savvy Patients and Professionals at Work in Healthcare 2.0.” New York Post. 04/07/2009.
Who killed Marcus Welby? from Seattle’s The Stranger, 1/23/2008
“Direct Medical Practice: The Uninsured Solution to the Primary Care Mess” with Dr. Garrison Bliss (Qliance Medical Group of WA).
“Direct Primary Care: A New Seattle Brew”. Harvard Medical School – WebWeekly. 2008-03-03.
DPCare.org
Qliance.com
ConciergeMedicineToday.com
