What is Direct Primary Care?

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is the primary care doctor's answer to the traditional fee-for-service insurance-based healthcare model that predominates today’s healthcare system. 

Healthcare can be confusing, especially when it comes to understanding the different models of care. In this post, I will break down the concept of Direct Primary Care (DPC) in simple terms, contrasting it with the traditional fee-for-service, insurance-based healthcare model. By the end, you'll have a better grasp of how DPC works and how it can benefit you as a patient.

Traditional Healthcare: The Fee-for-Service Model

The traditional healthcare system operates on a fee-for-service model. In this system, you visit a doctor or healthcare provider for sick/well care and they bill your insurance company or you directly for each service or procedure they perform. This includes office visits, tests, medications, and more. If you have insurance, your insurance company is billed and then you are billed for whatever costs they didn’t cover - copayments, deductibles, and any costs outside of your coverage plan (like an out-of-network provider or test that was not approved by our insurance or did not receive prior authorization). It could be months before you get a bill, your bill may be incorrect, or you may have paid a copay when you didn’t need to. 

The Challenges with Traditional Healthcare

• Lack of price transparency: You seldom ever know what a visit will cost you ahead of time and bills take forever to show up.

• Limited time with doctors: Doctors may have limited time to spend with each patient due to the volume of patients they are REQUIRED to see. The average appointment length is about 17 minutes. 

• High administrative costs: A significant portion of healthcare spending goes toward administrative overhead, further inflating the costs.

Direct Primary Care (DPC): A better choice for most

Direct Primary Care is a healthcare model designed to provide more accessible, affordable, and personalized care to patients. It operates on a different premise:

• You pay a fixed monthly fee directly to your DPC provider, often called a "membership" or "subscription" fee.

• In return, you gain access to various primary care services, including office visits, preventive care, and even some basic tests.

• You can see your DPC doctor as often as you need without worrying about additional costs, copayments, or deductibles.

• DPC doctors focus on building long-term patient relationships, allowing for more personalized and comprehensive care.

The Advantages of Direct Primary Care:

• Price transparency: With a predictable monthly fee, you know exactly what you'll pay each month, eliminating surprise bills.

• More time with your doctor: DPC physicians can spend more time with each patient (30 to 60 minutes) addressing their concerns and providing personalized care.

• Increased Access: You can easily get same-day or next-day appointments with your DPC doctor.  Sometimes an appointment isn’t needed, so you can communicate with her directly instead

• Affordable: DPC can be more cost-effective, especially for those with high-deductible insurance plans or no insurance at all.

The Bottom Line

DPC is characterized by its simplicity, price transparency, and patient-centered care, while the traditional model involves complex billing systems and often higher costs for patients. Not only is DPC better for patients, it is better for doctors.  We get to spend time doing the things we trained and love to do…take care of you!

Interested in learning more? Visit seedsofhealthdpc.com to sign up for my email list or join our practice waitlist today.  Our practice opens its doors in February 2024!

Our Story

Seeds of Health is not just a name for our practice, but a reflection of our unwavering commitment to your well-being. Our journey is deeply rooted in the personal experiences of Dr. Angela, whose parents, paternal grandfather, and maternal grandparents were all dedicated farmers and gardeners. They instilled in her the wisdom that a thriving garden can parallel a flourishing life, and this philosophy is at the heart of our practice.

Dr. Angela's love for gardening was instilled in her since childhood, as she witnessed the beauty of nature and the joy of nurturing plants both indoors and outdoors. She grew up observing her mother's care for household plants and her father and grandfather's meticulous attention to their city gardens. They found solace and happiness in the fruits of their labor. Moreover, her maternal grandparents taught her the art of canning and preserving their harvest for future use. Little did Dr. Angela know that these early lessons in gardening would shape her healthcare philosophy and influence her future medical practice.

Gardening for Health and Wellness

Dr. Angela discovered the remarkable health and mental advantages of gardening on her journey. As she continued to explore this age-old pastime, she recognized the striking similarities between nurturing a garden and promoting wellness.

1. Nurturing Growth: Just as our gardens require care and attention to flourish, our bodies and minds need the same kind of care to thrive. At Seeds of Health, we believe in providing comprehensive healthcare that addresses your unique needs and encourages growth, just as a gardener tends to her plants.

2. Mental Well-Being: Gardening is a natural stress reliever. The act of planting, nurturing, and watching your garden bloom brings peace to the mind. We incorporate this philosophy into our healthcare practice, fostering an environment that promotes mental well-being and a sense of tranquility.

3. Preventive Care: In gardening, early interventions can prevent issues from taking root and spreading. Similarly, our approach to healthcare is built on the principles of prevention and early detection, ensuring that your health garden remains vibrant and disease-free.

4. Generational Health: Just as Dr. Andrews has drawn inspiration from generations before her, we seek to pass on our knowledge, expertise, and a legacy of health to future generations. At Seeds of Health, we believe that, like gardening, health is a continuum that benefits from the wisdom of those who came before and it is our duty to pass it on.

A New Kind of Healthcare

Seeds of Health is committed to providing patient-centered and holistic healthcare that takes inspiration from the timeless lessons of tending to plants and crops. We understand that health is not just about physical well-being, but also about nurturing your body, mind, and spirit to achieve overall balance. Whether it is sharecropping, gardening on an empty city lot in Detroit, cultivating a corner spot of a suburban backyard, or bringing the indoors to life with plants, we believe that the key to good health lies in the relationship between people and nature.

It's not a coincidence that our primary brand color is Mustard. The Parable of the Mustard Seed gave Dr. Angela the courage to take a leap of faith in starting this practice. This parable conveys a powerful message of the strength of faith and the potential to accomplish the impossible with the aid of God. Dr. Angela hopes that although Seeds of Health is a lot smaller than other well-known healthcare systems in the area, it will grow and produce branches that will positively impact the way we practice healthcare in West Michigan.

Our healthcare practice is more than a destination, it's a sanctuary of health where we sow the seeds of well-being and nurture them into flourishing lives. We cordially invite you to join us on this journey and experience the profound advantages of healthcare that draws inspiration from nature and is rooted in generations of knowledge and wisdom.

Thank you for visiting Seeds of Health, and we look forward to growing together towards a healthier and happier future.