What Is Direct Primary Care?

Direct primary care, or DPC, is a way of paying for primary care that skips insurance for everyday visits. Instead of billing your insurer per appointment, the practice charges a flat monthly membership, and in return you get direct, unhurried access to your own doctor. Here is what that actually means in practice.

The membership model, in one line

In direct primary care, you pay the practice a recurring monthly fee and, in exchange, get your primary care from a doctor who bills you directly rather than your insurance company. Because the practice is not billing insurers for each visit, it can carry far fewer patients per doctor, which is where most of the difference you feel comes from.

That single change, the doctor being paid by you instead of by a third party for each service, is what the rest of the model follows from.

What you typically get

The specifics vary by practice, but most direct primary care memberships include longer appointments, same-day or next-day availability, and direct messaging, phone, or video access to your physician between visits. Many practices also fold in basic in-office services, and some discount routine labs or generic medications through their own pricing.

The common thread is access and time. A DPC doctor usually cares for a few hundred patients rather than a few thousand, so appointments are not rushed and it is easier to reach them when something comes up.

What it does not replace

A direct primary care membership is not health insurance. It covers primary care, not hospital stays, surgery, specialists, or emergencies. Most members pair a membership with a higher-deductible insurance plan, a health-sharing plan, or an HSA-eligible plan to cover the bigger things. We walk through that in what direct primary care costs, in the section on how membership sits alongside insurance.

Who it tends to fit

People who value a real relationship with their doctor, who want quick access without a wait, or who are managing an ongoing condition that benefits from regular, unhurried check-ins often find the model a good fit. So do people who are uninsured or on a high-deductible plan and want predictable primary care costs. It fits less well for anyone who mainly needs specialist or hospital-based care, since a membership does not cover those.

How to find a practice near you

Direct primary care is offered by independent practices across the country, and availability varies by area. You can find a direct primary care practice in the Radi8 Health directory, browse direct primary care by state, or search by the kind of doctor you need on the find a doctor by specialty page. When you are weighing practices, what direct primary care costs lays out typical membership pricing so you know what to expect before you call.

Common questions

Is direct primary care the same as concierge medicine?

They are related but not identical. Both charge a membership fee for closer access to a doctor, but concierge practices often keep billing insurance on top of the fee and tend to price higher. Direct primary care usually does not bill insurance for its visits at all.

Do I still need insurance with direct primary care?

Most people keep some form of coverage. A DPC membership handles primary care, but it does not cover hospital stays, surgery, specialists, or emergencies, so members typically pair it with a higher-deductible or health-sharing plan for those.

How much does direct primary care cost?

Membership fees vary by practice. See what direct primary care costs for real published rates and a cost-by-state breakdown.

Direct primary care vs concierge medicine · What direct primary care costs · Find a direct primary care practice · Find a doctor by specialty