Direct Primary Care: A Natural Partner for Subscription Billing

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a health care payment model that is gaining rapid acceptance across the United States. It is not insurance, but instead it delivers primary care to subscribers who pay a flat monthly subscription fee. As the structure of health care billing undergoes nationwide transformation, it’s not surprising that subscription billing has emerged as one of the most promising new models. Subscription billing offers unique advantages to both vendors and subscribers, so it’s a natural fit for the challenges of medical billing. Here’s an overview of this new option:

How DPC Works

Patients pay a flat fee, either monthly, quarterly or annually. This fee covers visits to their doctor’s office, as well as to most of the lab work and consultation services that the doctor may order. Since DPC does not cover emergency care, most subscribers also have a high-deductible emergency health insurance policy that covers hospitalization costs.

Benefits to Patients

Paying for basic health care through a subscription model offers patients a deep sense of confidence and well-being. No longer will a person have to weigh the urgency of their medical needs against the unexpected expense of a trip to the doctor. Parents who are concerned about their child’s health can contact the pediatrician for a phone call or visit and know that their monthly budget will not be disrupted. Furthermore, longer visits with a physician — often from 30 to 60 minutes — allow patient to fully describe their situation, and to receive care that takes their lifestyle and personal needs into account.

Benefits to Physicians

Many doctors struggle in today’s medical care structure, feeling torn between administrative requirements and their own professional needs to spend more time with each patient. The subscription system of DPC gives the medical practice a predictable income, regardless of whether any individual patient happens to need care. Doctors find that they are freed up to carry smaller patient loads in order to support their office costs, and they are correspondingly more available to individual patients who need help. Furthermore, since subscription payments come directly to the medical practice, doctors are not bound by third-party payer regulations. This enables them to provide the style of care they feel is best for the patient, while also saving time and money by sparing them insurance claim paperwork. The cost and accessibility of health care is a deep national challenge, and the robust utility of subscription billing promises to be part of tomorrow’s health care solution.

Not sure where to start when it comes to finding a subscription billing company that fits your needs? Download our free Six Must-Haves guide, which covers the features you need in a subscription billing service, why you need them, and comes with a bonus feature checklist: