Direct Primary Care Questions
Direct Primary Care, or DPC, is a model of healthcare that puts patients first. DPC gets rid of the red tape that often puts limitations on your healthcare and what insurance-based practices can offer you. With the DPC model, we offer more readily available appointment times. On most occasions same day appointments are available, up to a wait of no longer than 3 days to see Dr. McCracken. Our initial heath consultations are 1 hour, and we reserve a minimum of 30 minutes for all other appointments. We believe in affordable and transparent pricing. While there are many benefits included in your monthly membership fee, should you require a service or procedure that is not included in your membership, you will know exactly how much it costs before the bill comes.
The terms are often used interchangeably and essentially refer to the same principles. Direct Primary Care is a healthcare model focused on putting the patient first. This means treating them when they need it, never rushing patients through appointments, and being proactive with healthcare treatment plans. The doctor-patient relationship is just as the name suggests – direct. Direct Primary Care clinics don’t accept insurance; instead they choose to work directly with the patient to make their healthcare affordable. Direct care physicians like Dr. McCracken provide wholesale labs, negotiate better prices for imaging, work directly with specialists, help you find the best prices on medications, and other costs savings along the way.
Time, cost, and personalized attention. Our practice is completely patient-centric, and we don’t have bureaucratic restrictions holding us back. This allows us to spend time where it really counts: with our patients.
In refusing to recognize any interference with the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship, we have returned family practice medicine to its root values. In every aspect of family healthcare, and custom personalized healthcare, we promise accessibility, convenience, and affordability.
Yes. We are happy to accept the children of our enrolled clients. At this time, we are not able to provide routine vaccinations for young children, but we will happily work with you to arrange these.
Absolutely! We have several ways in which you can reach us. You will be instructed on how to contact your doctor depending on each situation. In the case of an emergency, you should always call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. If you have an urgent problem that is not emergent, you will be given an after-hours telephone number you can text or call. For non-urgent issues, such as prescription refills, we will show you how to use the portal to communicate with us. This is the beauty of Direct Primary Care. We have time to sit down and educate our patients. You will be clear on the best way to contact us, and we will always get back to you promptly.
We maintain strict standards of privacy. We are never obligated to provide any third party with a copy of your records unless you specifically ask that we do so.
Come get to know us! Schedule a free, unconditional visit to discuss your healthcare needs. It’s the only reasonable way to begin what we trust will be a long, productive, healthy relationship. Give us a call and get the personalized healthcare you deserve at an affordable price!
Insurance Questions
No. And this is perhaps the most critical distinction in our model of care centered on a direct, personal relationship between you and your doctor. This directness carries over to our business model as well. Take this example. While using an insurance company to help pay for fire damage to your house might make sense, using an insurance company to pay for the batteries and maintenance of your smoke detectors makes no sense.
In the same way, insurance should have no part in maintaining the health of your family. It should be there in case of emergency. When insurance became involved with primary care or preventive health care, it drove the prices up for patients, causing many to avoid the doctor’s office and to ignore their health maintenance. Patients only utilized their physician when their health symptoms became severe. We want to help you avoid that at all costs.
We forgo insurance payments to save our patients from the arbitrary, intrusive decisions that inevitably follow with third-party payors telling us what is best for our patients. Only you and the doctor can know what is best for you. Furthermore, this direct payment arrangement frees us from the typical contractual agreements that prevent physicians from offering wholesale prices on laboratory tests, imaging, and medications.
We still recommend our patients continue a major medical plan with a high deductible and health savings account to ensure financial help should hospitalization or referral to a specialist be necessary. We’re happy to connect you to vetted insurance representatives who can help customize an insurance plan to your specific needs.
Absolutely. We’re fortunate to work with the industry leaders in health insurance who build custom plans that remove much of the waste and inefficiency from a typical, bloated policy. We’ve been able to save families nearly $1,000/month and many businesses up to 50% while providing a higher level of care. If you’re interested in speaking with a health insurance expert, contact Fredrick Insurance Brokers.
Yes. You need only sign a one-time waiver declaring that neither you nor your doctor will directly bill Medicare for our services. Medicare will still cover any laboratory testing, imaging, medications, or hospitalizations prescribed by our offices.
Because we have the time necessary to get to know you, we seek to prevent or reduce hospitalizations and specialty referrals. In instances where those types of care are required, we will certainly continue to work with your hospitalist during your hospital stay as well as work closely with any specialist. In some cases, depending on the level of care and the sorts of expertise required, we may rely on those specialized caregivers to manage your treatment.
Yes! This is yet another benefit you will receive as a result of Primary Care Simplified’s independence from the restrictions of third-party payment (insurance). Because we know you well, we can streamline your care when you’re sick and away from home. Many illnesses can be diagnosed and treated with a simple conversation over the phone, or through an email, text, or video chat. We can contact the pharmacy closest to you and order the medications most appropriate for your current issue.
Sedera Cost-Sharing
Dr. McCracken and Primary Care Simplified are proud to be partners with Sedera, a medical cost-sharing
service. Explore the frequently asked questions below to learn more.
Schedule Your Consultation
Are you ready to explore direct primary care with a whole health approach to your wellness? Our number one goal is always to be patient-focused and driven to provide the absolute best care. Schedule a consultation with us today and learn what personalized, integrative medical care can do for you.
