No matter what the occupation, every employee wants to feel cared for by their employer and know that they have security in their medical needs. By offering your employees a more direct and one-on-one healthcare option, you are leading the charge on worker care and health. 

Direct primary care directly impacts patient health. When employees are more readily able to seek out care, they are also more willing to seek out care for issues big and small. Healthier employees take less sick days and feel more comfortable going to the doctor instead of dreading it due to the complications of scheduling and the barriers to entry. This article will go over how direct primary care works and what positive changes you and your employees can gain by providing them with a more personalized healthcare experience. 

What is Direct Primary Care?

Direct primary care (DPC) is a type of healthcare model designed to make access to medical care easier and less expensive for its members (and for employers). Instead of paying a fee for each service, employers pay a monthly subscription fee covering most of the medical services their employees will ever need, including preventative care and office visits for illnesses and minor injuries. This simplifies healthcare claims, making them easier to manage, and often can save employers double digit percentages over traditional high-deductible plans.

Because direct primary care is membership-based, doctors have fewer patients to see, which means they can spend more time with each member. It’s a more personalized, individualized type of healthcare than traditional healthcare methods, and provides your employees with readily available care for their most common healthcare needs.

Why Choose DPC?

Direct primary care provides a better and more convenient experience for your employees, and presents considerable savings to your enterprise. Employees who make use of their DPC membership spend less time away from work, are in more control of their health and are ultimately more productive. Overall, it’s one of the most impactful healthcare benefits and wellness investments that your company can make.

What Benefits Does DPC Offer Employer and Employee?

Cost-Effectiveness

Direct primary care is known for its cost-effectiveness because it integrates well with existing group health insurance plans by cutting out the middleman. Providing your employees with direct access to primary care physicians cuts time away from work and gives them more access to preventive wellness, and chronic disease management. Because of this access, employers can achieve up to a 20% reduction in total healthcare costs.

More Face-to-Face Time with Doctors

Not having enough facetime with a physician can leave a patient feeling unheard. Their health often suffers as there often isn’t enough time to go over all the issues they are facing. With direct primary care, the provider you choose for your employees will have doctors with fewer members to see, and more resources at their disposal. Your employees will be better cared for and get the care they need much faster than traditional healthcare, on average. DPC doctors are able to manage patients with chronic diseases and can often keep them from having to go to the emergency room, saving time, money and ultimately the health of your employee.

Overall Improved Healthcare Experience

The healthcare experience is an upgrade from traditional care through the DPC model. Your employees won’t be off all day for an appointment, waiting in a waiting room to be seen. They have access to their provider team 24/7, and they have a trusted medical provider who can help them get coordinated care with other physicians and specialists if they need, even over the phone if appropriate.

DPC Works with Your Company’s Health Insurance Plan

Direct primary care was created not to replace or interfere with an employer’s health insurance plan, but to reinforce and enhance it with existing coverage. Employers may choose to keep their insurance but pay a monthly membership fee for their employees to have access to unlimited care with their primary care physician. Or, there are several ways to implement DPC right inside your current self-funded plan or even build a custom plan around the DPC membership. These kinds of healthcare memberships will give your employees the opportunity to develop a better relationship with their primary care doctor will ultimately lead to better health for employees and less healthcare costs for you, the employer, down the line. 

Limitations of Direct Primary Care

Direct primary care is a fantastic resource for employees and its utilization has many benefits, as we have seen. Like any service, there can be limitations to what that service can do, and direct primary care is no different. Two limitations that are important to understand when you are looking for providers for your employees are:

1. DPC Only Covers Primary Care

Your employees will need supplemental insurance on top of the DPC that you provide for more specific healthcare issues. DPC is for primary care only, so when a member needs to see a specialist or have surgery, your employees will need to have insurance to cover those costs or will end up paying cash for them without insurance. Direct primary care does not completely take away the need for health insurance or an alternative plan to pay for more specialized or catastrophic medical costs. The DPC provider you choose or the benefits advisor that has helped you find a DPC plan should go over all options available for you and your employees, as there are many different options available.

2. Membership Enrollment Isn’t Counted As A Deductible

When you choose a DPC for your employees and enroll them in that specific membership healthcare program, it is important to know that the IRS categorizes the DPC as a healthcare plan. This means even though it won’t affect your employees’ access to getting healthcare when they need it, their enrollment costs aren’t classified as deducibles.

Choose Assurance for Your Employees Health and Wellness

Assurance Health & Counseling Center is a premier Direct Primary Care provider that offers exceptional healthcare without breaking the bank. We work with companies to provide an alternative to traditional health insurance, offering a lower-cost, budget-friendly option for your employees. 

We provide our members unlimited access to our health providers for a flat monthly fee. We offer medical services as well as counseling services, providing a holistic approach to healthcare. Contact us today and learn how a membership can help your employees live a happier, healthier life.

Because direct primary care is a relatively new take on healthcare, understanding the differences between DPC and the traditional primary care we’ve grown accustomed to is important, not only to see all the benefits of direct primary care, but also determine which option works best for you as a whole. This article will help better acquaint you with direct primary care and help you differentiate between direct and traditional healthcare.

What is Direct Primary Care?

Direct primary care (DPC) gives family physicians a meaningful alternative to fee-for-service insurance billing, typically by charging members a monthly, quarterly, or annual fee. This fee covers all or most of your primary care services including clinical and laboratory services, consultative services, care coordination, and comprehensive care management.

Because some services are not covered by a retainer, DPC practices often suggest that members acquire a high-deductible wraparound policy to cover emergencies, or another insurance alternative option that will protect members in the case of necessary surgeries, hospitalization or a large medical claim. Basically, the DPC concept is intended to take the practice of medicine back to its roots, where physicians were able to get to know their patients because they weren’t forced to practice within such tight time constraints now imposed by insurers. Direct primary care practices do not accept insurance of any kind, eliminating the associated red tape and allowing physicians to build rapport with each member.

What is Traditional Health Care?

Traditional health care (where health insurance pays for nearly all types of medical services and products) has been the standard in the US for almost a century. With traditional care, you see a physician, typically called your primary care doctor or general practitioner. They see you about everyday concerns, checkups and health issues. You may get assigned one without ever meeting them and most lower-income insurance plans don’t allow you to or make it very difficult to change doctors. 

Is Direct Primary Care Expensive?

On average, Direct Primary Care’s costs are lower than your traditional healthcare plans. This helps members feel more at ease when they visit their care provider and encourages members to seek out regular care rather than avoid seeing their doctor until something is wrong. 

Benefits of Direct Primary Care

Members get to Know Their Doctors

Americans value having a relationship with their doctors and want someone who knows their background and medical history. Younger generations also want more personalized healthcare, with 54 percent of millennials reporting they are or would like to follow their health care professional on social media. Direct primary care offers a kind of one on one service you just don’t get with traditional health care.

Clear Pricing and Billing

Because DPC doesn’t go through insurance, members pay a monthly fee that covers their costs, with no added fees. You won’t get shocked by a large bill with hidden fees like traditional healthcare has become notorious for. Monthly payments for DPC may change marginally over time, but members receive advanced notice before anything goes into effect. 

Better Member/Provider Relationship than Traditional Healthcare

The DPC model thrives off of the fact that members get more with their physicians. Getting more one-on-one time allows for better service, proactive care, and understanding and diagnosis of issues that may have otherwise gone unnoticed, leading to a deeper understanding of one’s health. As a result this empowers members to open up about their health concerns, improve communication in regards to those health concerns, and get better results as a result. 

Limitations of Direct Primary Care

Only Available for Primary Care

Direct Primary Care only covers your primary care needs — it is not comprehensive healthcare. If you need to see a specialist or require any type of surgery, for example, it will not be covered by DPC, and you will need to see specialists outside of the DPC system.

You Still Need Health Insurance

Though DPC doesn’t require health insurance for billing, it doesn’t completely negate the need for health insurance or a health insurance alternative, as stated above, it is only for primary care and may not cover more serious health care issues, events, or specialized procedures. 

Personalized Healthcare with You in Mind 

At Assurance Health & Counseling Center, we believe that you and your health are what matters most. Our membership plan grants our members unlimited access to our medical providers for one low flat monthly fee, which means no copays, no deductibles, no dealing with insurance requirements or regulations.

We also offer counseling to all members, as we believe in taking care of the whole person, body and mind. 

Contact us today and learn how a membership with us can help you live a happier, healthier life.

Another solution that has been picking up steam is direct primary care (DPC). With DPC, you simply pay a monthly fee to your health care provider’s practice. Then you obtain a doctor, usually offering both in-person and telehealth visits. 

This article will go over what direct primary care is, how it works with insurance, and whether DPC is the right choice for you. 

What is Direct Primary Care?

DPC is an alternative to third-party billing for physicians. Third-party billing is time-consuming, requiring doctors to see a large number of patients and often follow strict regulations in order to be compensated fairly. With DPC, providers charge their patients monthly, quarterly, or annually with the freedom to practice the care that is best for the patient. 

The fees patients pay cover primary care visits, including laboratory tests, consultations, clinical, and other medical services. Patients are allowed to use health insurance for emergency expenses not covered by the DPC plan. 

The idea behind DPC is to improve patient care and make sure the whole person is cared for. DPC providers can administer longer and more detailed appointments with their patients. This process gives doctors more time with their patients and doesn’t incentivize them to get clients in and out the door as quickly as possible. DPC lowers overhead expenses and makes administrative work easier, allowing practices to focus on what matters, their patient’s health.s and their health. 

How Does DPC Work?

A patient pays a flat-rate fee that includes unlimited services. This fee varies based on the provider and the services they offer. The fees usually range between $65 to $15085 a month. 

Some may compare it to paying for a membership to a doctor’s office. Doctors provide personalized care for their patients, and they spend much more time with them. A visit with a typical primary care physician visit usually lasts between about 5-7 15 minutes. A DPC visit typically lasts between about 20-40 minutes. 

DPC works in tandem with insurance by allowing you to have unlimited services with your DPC provider, and backup health insurance can be used for the services they don’t offer. For many people, this is a great way to get more personalized services with your primary care provider, and still be covered for everything else. 

Additional access to your doctor is often provided through phone and text services, appointment scheduling, and sometimes even home visits. Imaging services, medications, and lab tests are sometimes offered at a discount. 

Limitations of DPC

There are many benefits offered in the DPC model for both patients and doctors. Patients like personalized care, and doctors can practice like they used to before health insurance was standard. 

With more time and focus on patients, providers can focus more on the patient’s overall health, including lifestyle and wellness improvements. These services can potentially make healthcare more straightforward for everyone. As with every form of health coverage, DPC has its limitations.

Some have expressed concern that clinics cannot scale as general primary care because doctors choose the number of patients they care for – often between 350 to 1,000 versus a national average of 2,900 per physician. This setup creates an additional burden because the number of primary care doctors is limited. This has drawn criticism from some as limiting a patient’s access to healthcare. 

Another limitation regards HSA accounts – patients cannot use funds from a health savings account (HSA) to pay for DPC. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) views the fees as insurance payments, so HSAs can’t be used without paying health insurance premiums. 

These issues are being addressed. The H.R. 3708-Primary Care Enhancement Act of 2019 is sought to address the issues surrounding DPC, making care more available for all. Likewise, in June 2020, the IRS suggested new regulations for DPC payments that would give patients more options and coverage. As DPC continues to mature, the network of available physicians is slated to grow, and options are expected to continue to broaden for patients.

Is DPC Worth It?

Whether or not DPC is “worth it” depends entirely on the patient and their needs. The ease of access to primary care and more concentrated and thorough approach to their health and wellness solves a lingering problem many have with the traditional healthcare system. 

Supplemental health insurance policies are often recommended for the services the DPC doesn’t cover. Many patients find it works well with DPC. Some might compare it to having car insurance. You don’t need the additional insurance unless you get into an accident. The same can be compared to having health insurance in addition to DPC. 

DPC is there for you for most of your basic needs and services, and you get excellent care that you otherwise may not have had available to you. Then, you have your health insurance as a backup for any additional emergency needs or services that come up. 

There are also alternatives to traditional health insurance that many families and employers are starting to pair with DPC. Expect more information about these non-insurance solutions to major medical coverage in future blog posts.

Trust Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center With Your Wellbeing

Your health is the most important thing to you. Trust it to a team of professionals who care about it just as much as you do.

Trust it to Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center.

With individual, family, and employee membership plans available, we can provide primary care to virtually anyone. With access to caring providers  twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, you can rest easy knowing that we will address your concerns quickly so you can get back to living your life. Reach out to our team now and learn more about membership benefits.

If you have risk factors for heart disease, you need to be tested regularly, especially as you get older. Besides high blood pressure and obesity, high cholesterol is one of the main risk factors for heart disease.

Learning what cholesterol is, the types of cholesterol, and how to lower it will significantly reduce your risk for secondary diseases. We’ll go over what cholesterol is, the different types of cholesterol, and testing to determine if your cholesterol is high.

What is Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fat-like, waxy substance, naturally produced by your liver. It’s crucial for cell membrane formation, vitamin D, and some hormones. Because it is not dissolved in water, your liver produces lipoproteins to help transport it through the blood.

Lipoproteins are made from protein and fat and carry cholesterol and triglycerides (another lipid type) through your bloodstream. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) are the two major forms of lipoproteins. A blood test will indicate If your blood contains too much LDL cholesterol. You have high cholesterol if your blood contains too much LDL cholesterol (cholesterol carried by low-density lipoprotein).

Types of Cholesterol

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is considered bad cholesterol. Levels of cholesterol that are too high can be carried to your arteries, where they build up on the walls. This build-up is called cholesterol plaque and can increase the likelihood of blood clot formation, narrow your arteries, and limit your blood flow. Over one-third of American adults have elevated levels of LDL cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL), also called good cholesterol, helps your liver remove LDL cholesterol from your body. This aids in preventing cholesterol plaque from collecting in your arteries.

There is another type of cholesterol called very low-density (VLDL) that transports triglycerides through your body. VLDL is another type of lipid that can increase the risk of heart disease when elevated.

Risk Factors for High Cholesterol

Some risk factors can be changed, others cannot. Your genetics, age, and sex are things you cannot control, but you can change your diet and how much exercise you get. 

Here are more risk factors to consider:

• Type II diabetes
• Smoking
• Family history of high cholesterol
• Lack of exercise
• Obesity
• Eating a diet high in saturated and trans fats

The risk of having high cholesterol increases with age due to changes in your metabolism, meaning you should be monitored closely and have regular testing by your doctor.

Testing for High Cholesterol

A blood test is the only way to tell if you have high cholesterol. This test is done with a lipid panel that measures the level of different blood fats from a blood sample. These blood fats are triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol (including VLDL), HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol (the total amount of all types of cholesterol).

A reference range of values is used to determine whether the various levels are high or low. Abnormal is anything outside the reference value, and normal is anything between the high and low values. Your blood pressure is assessed along with your lipid levels to determine your ten-year risk of heart disease. Your age, weight, and sex are also factored into this assessment.

It is ultimately the relationship between the various values, high and low, that determine if your cholesterol levels are acceptable, if treatment is needed, or how well you are responding to treatment. In the United States, reference ranges in a lipid panel vary by age and sex. 

Examples of acceptable lipid panel readings for 19 and under:

• Normal LDL is under 100mg/dL 
• Normal HDL 45mg/dL or more
• Total cholesterol under 120mg/dL

Examples for acceptable lipid panel readings for females 20 and over:

• Normal LDL is under 100mg/dL
• Normal HDL 40mg/dL or more
• Total cholesterol between 125 to 200mg/dL

Examples for acceptable lipid panel readings for males 20 and over:

• Normal LDL is under 100mg/dL
• Normal HDL 50mg/dL or more
• Total cholesterol under 130mg/dL

How You Can Get Tested 

With all of these benefits in mind, it’s essential not to neglect an annual physical, as this is your chance to receive regular checkups and preventative care, saving you time, money, and potentially even your life.

Your health should feel important to you and your healthcare provider, and the personalized and attentive care provided by Direct Primary Care is the best way to ensure this. If you’re tired of dealing with brief, impersonal appointments where there’s not enough time to address all of your concerns adequately, you can put your trust in the hands of Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center. 

Our simple membership plan gets you same-day appointments, unlimited visits, and medications and tests at a low, not-for-profit cost. Most importantly, you’ll get a provider who can make time for you and all of your concerns when you need their attention most. Membership with Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center also includes a free annual physical blood panel, so members can be sure their cholesterol levels are in the healthy range. Contact our team now and learn more or to become a member.

Direct primary care offers many of the same benefits as urgent care but with a more personalized approach. The two do have some similarities, but their differences are very distinct and should be understood before choosing one option for your family’s care.

Here’s how direct primary care and urgent care differ and why one of them may be a better choice for your family’s medical needs.

What is Urgent Care?

If you need care when your doctor isn’t available, or if you have an illness or injury that isn’t serious enough to require a visit to the emergency room, urgent care is traditionally your first solution. In these situations, an urgent care facility can be a good option for most people. 

Although it’s preferable to see your regular doctor, if they’re unavailable and you need immediate care, urgent care clinics can help. You can visit them for minor injuries and illnesses that aren’t serious enough for the emergency room, usually during hours that include evenings and weekends.

Pros and Cons of Urgent Care

Urgent care clinics are helpful for several reasons, but they also have some negatives to consider.

Pros:

• It’s often easy to be seen at an urgent care clinic without waiting days or weeks to be seen..
• They’re usually less expensive and sometimes less crowded than the emergency room.
• Some take insurance, though your copay may vary.
• Many urgent care clinics are popping up all over, making them more convenient if your doctor is located further away.

Cons:

• You don’t get to choose your doctor.
• The doctors at urgent care clinics don’t have a chance to develop a relationship with patients. They won’t have your complete medical history.
• Despite being less expensive than an emergency room, you still may have a hefty copay for an urgent care visit.
• You may need ongoing care for your problem, and you won’t be able to see the same doctor at your next visit.

The bottom line with urgent care facilities is that you often trade quality care for convenient care, and that can impact your health in the long term.

What is Direct Primary Care?

Direct primary care is a type of healthcare service designed to make getting medical care easier and less expensive for its members. Instead of paying a fee for each service, members pay a monthly subscription fee covering most of the medical services they’ll need, including preventative care and office visits for illnesses and minor injuries.

Because direct primary care is membership-based, doctors have fewer patients to see, which means they can spend more time with each patient. It’s a more personalized, individualized type of care than traditional healthcare methods, and it has many benefits for its members.

Pros and Cons of Direct Care

There are many benefits for people with a direct primary care membership that make it a better choice than urgent care facilities.

Pros:

• Every provider in the clinic has full access to your medical history, making it easier to care for you during unexpected illnesses or injuries.
• Urgent primary care means you’ll see someone the same day or the next day for issues that include injuries and illnesses, often with very little wait time.
• If you can’t get an immediate appointment, you’ll still have telephone access to providers  24 hours a day. 
• Unlike urgent care, which deals with individual incidents, direct primary care helps you manage chronic conditions, preventive care, and any unexpected illnesses or injuries you may have – including urgent care needs.
• Because you prepay, there are no unexpected fees or copays.

Cons:

• You have to be a member to take advantage of the services.
• If you have a true emergency that requires a trip to the emergency room, those emergency services aren’t covered. However, your primary care provider will coordinate with the emergency room on your behalf, making the process less stressful.

Which is Right for Me?

Urgent care facilities can be beneficial if you don’t have a primary care physician or don’t have access to your primary care physician. However, direct primary care provides access to medical care 24/7 via telephone, and you can usually be seen the same or the next day, so you don’t have to wait for services.

Since your care under direct primary care is prepaid, you won’t have any unexpected fees to consider, whereas you could have substantial copays with urgent care. And if you have to go back for follow-up care, there could be additional fees with an urgent care facility.

Direct primary care is not, however, a replacement for emergency care, and does not cover emergency room costs, which are covered under most traditional insurance plans (that also cover urgent care). Although, copays may vary between plans.

Ultimately, direct primary care offers all of the same benefits as urgent care without many of the drawbacks. Additionally, direct primary care ensures that you are always seen by providers who know your medical history and treat you appropriately.

Trust Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center With Your Wellbeing

Your health is the most important thing to you. Trust it to a team of professionals who care about it just as much as you do.

Trust it to Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center.

With individual, family, and employee membership plans available, we can provide primary care to virtually anyone. With access to caring providers  twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, you can rest easy knowing that we will address your concerns quickly so you can get back to living your life. Reach out to our team now and learn more about membership benefits.

With many businesses choosing to keep employees at home, at least for the foreseeable future, it draws the inevitable question: How will continued isolation affect our mental health in the long term? 

While some people find working from home a relief, others may struggle with feelings of isolation, loneliness, and other negative emotions resulting from a lack of regular human interaction. Maintaining your mental health while working from home is essential. Today, we will take a look at some self care tips that will help you manage your mental health while working from home.

Find a Routine

The lack of any actual routine can lead to boredom, stress, and even mild depression for many people. If you’re already suffering from depression, a lack of routine can make it worse.

When you work outside the home, you usually have some routine that tells you when to start and stop the day. But when you’re at home all the time, it can be easy to lose the structure that helps us stay focused and separates work time from personal time. 

Try getting up at the same time every day and make an effort to establish a routine to start your workday. Maybe you’ll shower, get dressed, and have coffee, just like you would if you were going out of the home to work. Make sure you set yourself an end of the workday routine, too, so your brain knows it’s time to put work away for the day and focus on personal time.

Set Up a Workspace

You don’t have to have a separate room for an office to create a workspace at home. Just pick a spot in your home and dedicate it to work. Having a dedicated workspace helps you with your routine, and it also enables you to distinguish between work and home time.

Take Screen Breaks

If your work involves lots of computer time, you can find yourself feeling tired and burned out more quickly. If you’re filling your free time with more screens (your phone, social media, television), it could affect your mental health and overall physical wellbeing.

Give yourself time throughout the day to get away from the screens. Take a walk outside, grab coffee or lunch, sneak in a quick workout, or just spend a few minutes out in your garden. These mini screen breaks help prevent fatigue and other issues that can arise from too sedentary a lifestyle.

Get Social

Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you have to give up socializing. While the pandemic has made it more difficult to socialize in person, there are still plenty of online options to help you maintain work relationships.

Utilize meeting apps to ‘meet up’ with coworkers for a virtual lunch date or pick up the phone and give them a call after work. Social interaction is an integral part of keeping mentally strong. It’s easier to cope with stress and overcome adversity if you have a solid social circle, so find ways to maintain those relationships when working from home.

Get Active

Physical activity isn’t just good for the body. It’s good for the mind, too. Make a point to get out and get active whenever you can, even if it’s just a quick walk or a few minutes spent dancing around your home.

Being active can help release endorphins that boost your mood and regulate your body’s normal functions. Plus, you’ll feel better mentally if you take care of your physical well-being, so look for small opportunities to be more active every day.

Try Not To Be Too Hard On Yourself

Working from home, especially if you live with others, can be challenging. Distractions abound, and it can be tempting to put off work to do other things. While this isn’t a good idea all the time, do be kind to yourself if you find yourself giving into distractions.

Modern life is filled with distractions, and even if you live alone, there will always be something more interesting than work vying for your attention. It may help to try and limit distractions by working in a location with fewer distractions. If you have children or pets that need your attention, you may have to resign yourself to the fact that some of your day will be taken up by their needs, and that’s okay.

It’s also okay to ask for help. Suppose you suddenly find yourself responsible for taking care of family members while working from home and managing your household. In that case, you may want to speak with your boss about decreasing your workload, at least temporarily, so that you don’t become overwhelmed. At the end of the day, no job is worth more than your mental health.

Your Mental Health Comes First With Assurance

Assurance Health & Counseling Center believes that you and your health are what matters. Our membership plan is simple – members get unlimited access to our medical providers for one low flat monthly fee.

No copays, no deductibles, no dealing with insurance requirements or regulations.

Membership includes unlimited office visits, same-day appointments when you’re sick or injured, and 24/7 telephone access to our providers. Labs, X-Rays and medications that are purchased through us are at OUR cost. We don’t sell them for profit – and you’ll be shocked to see how affordable healthcare can be.

We also offer counseling to all members – because we believe in taking care of the WHOLE person. Contact us today and learn how a membership can help you live a happier, healthier life.

Because this type of health care is relatively new, many people don’t fully understand how it works or why it could be a better option. As a result, there are still some misconceptions about direct primary care floating around that need to be addressed.

Today, we will dive deeper into the details about direct primary care and debunk the myths surrounding this healthcare option.

Myth #1: Direct Primary Care Causes a Primary Care Doctor Shortage

The direct primary care model is very attractive to primary care doctors because, in direct primary care, the patient load is much smaller. With a traditional healthcare practice (one that bills insurance), doctors must see many more patients, which means every patient gets less time with the physician.

The traditional medical practice setting is more likely to be the reason behind a shortage of primary care doctors. Physician burnout has become more common in busy practices where doctors can only spend a few minutes with each patient, have a higher patient load, and deal with insurance companies denying coverage for services they don’t deem medically necessary.

Conversely, in direct primary care, doctors have a smaller patient load and are less likely to experience burnout. It also leads to better care for members since physicians can spend more time with each one.

Myth #2. Direct Primary Care is More Expensive

Many people think that paying a low monthly fee for all your healthcare is ‘too good to be true,’ and there must be hidden expenses that will make it more expensive than traditional healthcare.

This is simply not true. Direct primary care clinics have lower overhead because they don’t have to pay for billing or deal with traditional insurance hassles. With lower overhead, they can afford to charge less than the cost of typical insurance premiums in many cases.

Considering that traditional healthcare costs include premiums, copays, deductibles, and coinsurance, most people are surprised to find that direct primary care is much lower, even if you have a separate ‘catastrophic coverage’ plan. With one payment covering most of your healthcare needs, it can seem too good to be true, but in reality, it simply makes good financial sense for many people to choose direct primary care.

Myth #3. Direct Primary Care Only Covers Office Visits

While it’s true that direct primary care includes coverage for office visits, it also covers so much more. Many direct primary care practices have plans that include lab tests, imaging, and prescription drug coverage, often at a negotiated rate that is much lower than members would pay if they used traditional healthcare providers.

While some services are not included with   a direct primary care membership, you would be surprised at how much your primary care provider can do when they have time with you. Providers in the traditional system have on average of about 5-9 minutes to diagnose and treat your issue, where in direct primary care, your doctor can spend the time they need to do all they can within their scope of care. This means that direct primary care providers refer to specialists up to 90% less than traditional providers!

When something does come outside of the scope of the direct primary care provider, your doctor can coordinate with outside specialists when necessary to help ensure that you receive the best care possible. Since many people choose to add a ‘catastrophic coverage’ plan or high deductible health insurance policy, overall costs may still be lower than if you used traditional healthcare alone.

Myth #4. Direct Primary Care Doctors Aren’t Available When I Need Them 

Many people worry that they won’t be able to see their doctor whenever they need to in direct primary care settings. While they may not see the same doctor at every visit, they will have access to an entire team of physicians that are available even for urgent care visits.

With direct primary care, members spend more time with their doctors, so they build a stronger relationship. Since every doctor at the clinic has access to every member’s medical history, it’s easy for members to move between physicians if they choose, or stick with the same doctor for every visit. 

If care is needed urgently, direct primary care members can often be seen immediately or the next day. Plus, direct care physicians are available by telephone 24/7 to provide support and care at any time the members need it. The issue of availability simply isn’t an issue with direct primary care.

Myth #5. Direct Primary Care Isn’t Real Healthcare

Direct primary care is a relatively new concept. It’s not well-known, and for some, it can seem too good to be true. But it is a very real and valid form of healthcare that can save its members money and allow them to develop deeper relationships with their family healthcare providers. 

Choose Assurance Healthcare Family Medical Clinic for Next Generation Primary Care

Your health should feel important to you and your healthcare provider, and the personalized and attentive care provided  in the Direct Primary Care model is the best way to ensure this. If you’re tired of dealing with brief, impersonal appointments where there’s not enough time to address all of your concerns adequately, you can put your trust in the hands of Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center. 

Our simple membership plan promises  same-day appointments for sickness & injury, unlimited visits, and medications and tests at a low, not-for-profit cost. Most importantly, you’ll get a provider who can make time for you and all of your concerns when you need their attention most. Contact our team now and learn more or to become a member.

In its simplest form, Direct Primary Care (or DPC) sees members paying their provider directly through regular monthly payments. With this payment system in place, insurance covers costs, thus removing one of the biggest hurdles members commonly encounter. The DPC model also provides other non-financial benefits that can lead to higher-quality healthcare overall. 

As the leading family medical center in Yakima, Assurance Healthcare offers Direct Primary Care to our clients. We believe that doing so makes healthcare more affordable, more accessible, and more personable. 

Below you’ll find an outline of how Direct Primary Care differs from the usual system. While focusing on the benefits, we’ve also included some limitations of Direct Primary Care, so that you can be fully informed on how this model works and can benefit you.

Direct Primary Care Explained

When you visit a family medical clinic, mental healthcare clinic, or another provider, you’re probably required to interact with many people before actually seeing your doctor. Besides taking more time, it also makes things more expensive for both you and the provider. In addition, many people work together to handle insurance claims and billing, and the need to fill these positions raises the costs of services.

Direct primary care cuts out this middle-men aspect by operating on a direct payment service. Specifically, clients pay their provider a flat rate every month, not unlike a subscription. In return, members get access to a wide range of services whenever they need them.

On average, Direct Primary Care costs are lower than traditional healthcare services. The result is members feeling more comfortable visiting their provider and receiving services instead of putting them off because they are cost-prohibitive.

Limitations of Direct Primary Care

Every health care program has its limitations, and Direct Primary Care is no exception. While we believe that the benefits greatly outweigh the limitations, it is important that you know what (and what not) to expect. Doing so will ensure that you can experience Direct Primary Care to its fullest and reap all the benefits.

It’s Only for Primary Care

While it’s nice to have your primary care needs met with such a straightforward program, it’s not comprehensive healthcare. If you need to see a specialist or require surgery, for example, that won’t fall under the umbrella of Direct Primary Care, and you’d still need insurance to cover those costs. So, while Direct Primary Care doesn’t require health insurance for billing, it doesn’t completely negate the need for health insurance or an alternative plan to pay for major medical costs, either. 

Membership Isn’t Deductible 

While enrolling in a primary direct care program isn’t a form of health insurance, the IRS classifies it as a healthcare plan. What does this mean? While it won’t affect your access to health services, enrollment costs aren’t considered deductibles.

Benefits of Direct Primary Care

The lower price tag and more straightforward billing get presented as Direct Primary Care’s biggest draw. However, it’s far from the only benefit the system carries. The overall benefits carry far beyond the money members save.

Clear Pricing and Billing

With Direct Primary Care, your monthly fee covers your care costs, with only a few exceptions. There are no estimates or variables, and you won’t be shocked by a bill showing a cascade of costs. While the monthly fee may change from time to time, it’s never sudden, and your provider gives plenty of notice before it goes into effect.

Better Member/Provider Relationship

One of the upsides of providers using the Direct Primary Care model is that they can spend more time with each member. Doing so allows them to know you better and to give deeper, more personalized care. As a result, many members feel more comfortable receiving services and opening up about their health concerns. 

Greater Accessibility

Direct primary care programs almost always allow members to make appointments for the same or next day and give them around-the-clock access to their provider through email, phone, and other forms of communication. A provider will see you much sooner and, as a result, experience greater peace of mind. You’ll have a much easier time fitting appointments into your schedule as well.

Trust Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center With Your Wellbeing

Your health is the most important thing to you. Trust it to a team of professionals who care about it just as much as you do.

Trust it to Assurance Healthcare & Counseling Center.

With individual, family, and employee membership plans available, we can provide primary care to virtually anyone. With offices open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, you can rest easy knowing that we will address your concerns quickly so you can get back to living your life. Reach out to our team now and learn more about membership benefits.

When you add wellness benefits to your insurance packages, you’re giving your employees a chance to improve their overall health through education and regular screenings. This can not only improve an employee’s quality of life but can also reduce costs over time, as healthier people tend to experience fewer illnesses than those who remain unhealthy.

Let’s look at a few more reasons why you should consider offering health and wellness benefits for your employees.

1. It Helps You Attract and Retain the Best Employees

If you want to succeed in today’s marketplace, you must be able to attract and retain the best talent. This is much easier if you can offer them competitive salaries, but what many employers don’t realize is that the total compensation package also includes non-financial benefits, such as health and wellness benefits.

So, the question remains, why should you offer health and wellness benefits?

To begin with, it’s the ethical thing to do for your employees. It will engender respect for the company as their employer, and they’ll be incentivized to work hard on your behalf, because they know that you’re not just thinking about your bottom line — you care about them and their families, too.

By offering health and wellness benefits to your employees, you will attract better candidates who are ready to come aboard a company that is invested in their well-being. Employees are more likely to stay with a company that offers its workers benefits such as health and wellness plans, because they’re making an investment in their future along with the employer. It’s a win-win situation.

2. Health and Wellness Benefits Are Cheaper than Employee Medical Costs That Aren’t Covered by Insurance

Health and wellness benefits can save your company money in two ways.

First, you’ll be able to avoid paying for many of the costs that come with prolonged or undiscovered employee health issues. We’ll come back to this later in this section.

Second, offering your employees these kinds of benefits can reduce the amount they’re required to pay for coverage on their own when they purchase private insurance outside the company. This is significant because many workers are leaving their jobs to become uninsured because they can’t afford the premiums and out-of-pocket costs associated with private insurance.

Bear in mind that people who don’t have health insurance tend to put off getting medical care when they need it, which means that when they do get help, it’s usually insurance coverage that tends to put their health needs on hold until they’re forced by a medical emergency to seek treatment.

This can be very disruptive and expensive for an employer because it means the employee is likely out of work while recovering and undergoing necessary treatments.

Ultimately, your company will pay for that lack of insurance through increased compensation paid to the worker as a result of his or her disability, higher insurance premiums, and reduced productivity.

It’s much less expensive in the long-run to have an employee who has access to health and wellness benefits from the get-go, because you’ll be able to avoid high medical costs that result from chronic illnesses and treatment of acute illnesses.

3. Health and Wellness Benefits Are a Great Way to Reduce Lost Work Days

When you give your employees access to health and wellness benefits, they’ll be able to get assistance with making lifestyle changes in terms of eating habits, exercise routines, and stress management.

It will also help them stay well, so that they can better avoid getting sick, which translates into less doctor’s visits and prescription medications are required due to illness. In addition, if there is an illness in the family, employees will know about it and can take steps to care for themselves with preventative measures and testing, if necessary.

4. Health and Wellness Benefits Increase Employee Productivity

On average, employees who have better health are more productive. Companies that support health in the workplace have a greater percentage of employees at work each day. This is — in part — because healthier employees are less likely to call out sick and/or use sick days.

Workplace health programs can also help in reducing presenteeism — the extent to which poor health adversely affects the productivity of individuals who choose to remain at work.

Find The Right Direct Primary Care Provider

Assurance Health & Counseling Center is a premier Direct Primary Care provider that offers exceptional healthcare without breaking the bank. We work with companies to provide an alternative to traditional health insurance, offering a lower-cost, budget-friendly option for your employees. 

We provide our members unlimited access to our health providers for a flat monthly fee. We offer medical services as well as counseling services, providing a holistic approach to healthcare. Contact us today and learn how a membership can help your employees live a happier, healthier life.

Employer-sponsored health insurance faces a long-term risk of premiums continuing to rise and not having the staff or the expertise to manage the intricacies of the healthcare market. The inability to navigate the increasingly complex healthcare market causes employees to become underinsured, with inadequate care and rising healthcare costs for the employee even after paying their share of the premium to the employer.

Even those employees that have insurance often have a deductible that is higher than the amount of money they have in savings. Even though these employees ‘have’ health insurance, they aren’t truly protected from spending more than they have. We call this being ‘functionally uninsured.’

To help alleviate the rising costs of sponsored health care, employers are turning to an alternative health care system called Direct Primary Care. We will outline what Direct Primary Care is and how it benefits employers and employees alike.

What Is Direct Primary Care?

Direct Primary Care is a membership-based healthcare system. When a company offers Direct Primary Care, they pay the membership fee for the employee, and that’s the end of their involvement. There is no direct relationship between the healthcare system and the employer. 

The relationship that exists with Direct Primary Care is with the care provider and the patient, rather than having the insurance company as a middle-man. It also gets rid of the need for an insurance company to approve certain medications and procedures. Instead, the doctor chooses what is best for their patient, and the patient receives the care they need.

What Are The Benefits of Direct Primary Care?

Benefit #1 – Cost Savings

Adding Direct Primary Care (DPC) provides value and savings to companies indirectly. They pay considerably less for memberships for employees rather than high premiums that continue to increase over time. In addition, the employee benefits from increased healthcare access and physician-led healthcare navigation. And, with many DPC clinics, there are zero costs for office visits and no co-pays. DPC is truly a first-dollar benefit for employees.

DPC membership rates are generally between $30-90 a month per employee, and premium increases don’t occur as often as traditional health insurance premiums. When using a self-funded or company-funded DPC, healthcare claims are easier to manage, and the savings for both employee and employer are significant.

Benefit #2 – Less Time Away From Work

DPC offers employees the ability to see a personal, concierge-like physician, offering conveniences of same-day or next-day office appointments. With Virtual DPC, patients can meet with their physician by email, phone, or video conference at work or home. This means employees don’t miss work to go into a doctor’s office for a consultation with their physician. By providing nearly on-demand healthcare, employees can spend more time working and less time waiting in doctor’s offices.

Having improved accessibility to physicians encourages employees to see their doctor when they need to. DPC potentially keeps employees healthier because they can address health issues before they become a chronic or lifelong problem. DPC offers employees services to help prevent, manage, and address acute health issues as they arise, and in turn, employees can focus on work and continue with optimal productivity.

Benefit #3 – Helps Retain And Recruit Employees

Offering the lower cost of DPC membership allows companies to provide better benefits packages and allows small companies to provide healthcare benefits they couldn’t otherwise afford. This applies both to existing and potential employees. By providing a DPC membership, companies can create a more robust benefits package. In addition, offering DPC memberships’ high level of care gives employees security and draws in talent that wants the same.

Benefit #4 – Helps Promote A Healthier Work Culture

DPC isn’t just for employees who are sick. DPC physicians are proactive when it comes to caring for their patients, and with $0 copays and $0 office visit charges, employees are encouraged to see their provider much earlier than with regular insurance. Offering a healthcare option that is accessible before a health issue arises shows your commitment to your employee’s health. By increasing employee benefits and saving money on healthcare, companies offer numerous benefits to their employees.

Find The Right Direct Primary Care Provider

Assurance Health & Counseling Center is a premier Direct Primary Care provider that offers exceptional healthcare without breaking the bank. We work with companies to provide an alternative to traditional health insurance, offering a lower-cost, budget-friendly option for your employees. 

We provide our members unlimited access to our health providers for a flat monthly fee. We offer medical services as well as counseling services, providing a holistic approach to healthcare. Contact us today and learn how a membership can help your employees live a happier, healthier life.