Direct Care is a patient-centered approach to healthcare that eliminates unnecessary administrative processes and allows patients to work directly with their healthcare providers. This model empowers patients to take control of their care by making direct payments for healthcare services, ensuring greater affordability, transparency, and personalized attention.
The Direct Care Foundation (DCF) advocates for and promotes Direct Care models such as Direct Primary Care (DPC),
Direct Specialty Care (DSP), and Cash Surgery Centers, all designed to make healthcare more accessible and focused on the needs of patients.
- Transparent Pricing: Patients know exactly what they will pay upfront, with no surprise fees.
- Personalized Care: Healthcare providers can spend more time with each patient, delivering care that is tailored to individual needs.
- Transparency: Direct payment ensures that there are no hidden charges, and the pricing for all services is straightforward and easy to understand.
- Simplicity: By removing unnecessary administrative layers, patients and providers can focus entirely on quality care.
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a model where patients pay a flat monthly fee to their primary care provider for a full range of primary care services. This includes routine check-ups, preventive care, and even minor surgical procedures. By working directly with their doctors, patients receive a more personalized experience and can avoid the unnecessary delays and complexities that often complicate U.S. healthcare delivery.
- Patients pay a monthly membership fee, typically between $50-$100 per month per adult, depending on the practice.
- This fee covers all primary care services, including unlimited visits, preventive screenings, chronic disease management, and some minor procedures.
- Patients have direct access to their doctor, often with same-day or next-day appointments, and many practices offer easy communication options such as phone calls, texts, or emails.
- More Time with Your Doctor: DPC doctors typically have patient panels of five to six hundred, meaning they can spend more time with each patient and provide more in-depth, personalized care than traditional primary practices, where doctors often have three to four thousand people in their patient panels.
- Predictable Costs: Patients pay a single monthly fee, eliminating per-visit charges, and normally also gain access to wholesale pricing for laboratory tests, medications, and imaging services through their DPC relationship.
- Convenience: Many DPC practices offer same-day or next-day appointments and convenient communication methods with the doctor on evenings and weekends. Many DPC doctors even give their personal cell numbers to their patients with permission to text or call 24/7.
Direct Specialty Care (DSP) is a healthcare model that applies the principles of Direct Primary Care to specialist services. In DSP, patients work directly with specialists—such as cardiologists, endocrinologists, or dermatologists—paying clear, upfront fees for consultations and treatments. This model removes the delays and administrative hurdles that can often complicate access to specialized care.
- Patients pay specialists directly for the services they need, such as consultations, diagnostic tests, or treatments.
- Pricing is provided upfront, with no hidden fees, allowing patients to budget for care with confidence.
- Specialists can dedicate more time to patient care, free from administrative distractions.
- Clear, Upfront Pricing: Patients know exactly what they will pay before they receive care, with no unexpected costs.
- Faster Access to Specialists: Patients can connect directly with specialists without the need for referrals or long wait times.
- Tailored Care: Specialists can focus more on the patient’s needs, offering comprehensive and personalized care.
- Cardiology: Patients can receive care for heart-related conditions with clear, upfront pricing.
- Endocrinology: Direct access to treatment for hormonal disorders, diabetes, and thyroid conditions.
- Dermatology: Consultations, skin biopsies, and treatments available directly from specialists.
Cash Surgery Centers offer an innovative approach to surgical care, providing patients with transparent, fixed prices for a wide range of procedures. Patients know the total cost of their surgery before it takes place, often at a significantly reduced price compared to other healthcare settings. By making direct payments to these cash providers, patients experience substantial cost savings and avoid unnecessary complexity.
- Patients receive clear, upfront pricing for their procedure, with no surprise bills after the surgery.
- Surgical procedures are performed in specialized outpatient centers that focus on providing high-quality care at a lower cost.
- Payments are made directly to the center, simplifying the process and allowing patients to focus on their care and recovery.
- Cost Savings: Cash Surgery Centers often offer prices that are significantly lower compared to other settings.
- Upfront, Transparent Pricing: Patients know exactly what they will pay before the surgery takes place, avoiding any hidden fees.
- Streamlined Process: With fewer administrative layers, patients can focus on their recovery without dealing with complex payment processes.
- Orthopedic Surgeries: Joint replacements, arthroscopy, and other orthopedic procedures with clear, upfront costs.
- General Surgeries: Procedures like hernia repairs, gallbladder removal, and others are offered at reduced, fixed prices.
- Cosmetic Surgeries: A wide range of elective surgeries, such as cosmetic enhancements, available with transparent pricing.
At The Direct Care Foundation, we believe that healthcare should be simple, transparent, and affordable for everyone. Direct Care eliminates unnecessary administrative processes, giving patients more time with their healthcare providers, better access to care, and the peace of mind that comes with clear, upfront pricing.
Direct Care empowers patients to take control of their healthcare, fostering strong relationships between patients and their providers. With a focus on affordability, transparency, and personalized care, Direct Care makes healthcare accessible to all.