Charlotte Direct Primary Care Doctor

Direct primary care (DPC) is a modern healthcare model that focuses on building a direct relationship between patients and their primary care providers, often family physicians or internists. Here’s how it works and why it might be appealing:

1. Direct Relationship: In DPC, patients pay a monthly or annual fee directly to their primary care provider, rather than relying on insurance for every visit. This fee covers a wide range of primary care services, including office visits, preventive care, chronic disease management, and even some basic procedures and tests.

2. Accessible Care: Because DPC eliminates the need for insurance billing, providers can offer longer appointment times and more frequent visits as needed. This means patients often have easier access to their doctor and can receive more personalized attention.

3. Affordability: DPC aims to make healthcare more affordable by cutting out the administrative overhead and paperwork associated with traditional insurance-based practices. This can lead to lower costs for patients, especially those with high deductibles or who don’t have insurance coverage.

4. Focus on Prevention and Wellness: DPC providers prioritize preventive care and wellness. They work closely with patients to manage chronic conditions, promote healthy lifestyles, and address health concerns early on, aiming to prevent more serious health issues down the road.

5. No Insurance Hassles: Patients in DPC practices don’t have to navigate the complexities of insurance networks, copays, or surprise medical bills for covered services. Instead, they pay a predictable monthly or annual fee and can often access their provider through telemedicine or secure messaging.

Overall, direct primary care offers a more personalized, accessible, and straightforward approach to primary healthcare, emphasizing quality time with your doctor and a focus on long-term health and well-being.

No. We accept all patients with or without insurance, but we do not bill insurance. We are unable to provide the highest quality service while operating within the restrictive bureaucracy of the insurance system. You still need insurance for emergencies, specialists and testing. Much of what we are able to offer for cash pricing ends up being cheaper than if you used insurance!

Signing up for a direct primary care (DPC) membership can be beneficial even if someone already has traditional health insurance. Here are several reasons why:

1. Personalized Care and Relationship: DPC focuses on building a strong doctor-patient relationship. With fewer patients per provider, you often receive more personalized attention and care that’s tailored to your specific health needs and goals. This can lead to better health outcomes and a deeper understanding of your own health.

2. Enhanced Access and Convenience: DPC memberships often provide easier access to primary care services. You can typically get longer appointment times, same-day or next-day appointments, and even telemedicine consultations. This can be especially useful for busy individuals or those with chronic health issues who need frequent check-ins.

3. Comprehensive and Preventive Care: DPC practices often emphasize preventive care and wellness. Your provider can spend more time discussing lifestyle changes, preventive screenings, and managing chronic conditions. This proactive approach can potentially reduce the need for more expensive treatments or hospitalizations in the future.

4. No Insurance Hassles: With DPC, you don’t have to deal with insurance paperwork, copays, or deductibles for primary care services covered under your membership. This simplicity can save time and reduce financial stress, especially for routine visits and minor health concerns.

5. Cost Savings: While DPC memberships involve a monthly or annual fee, they can still save you money in the long run. By avoiding unnecessary emergency room visits, urgent care costs, and copays for primary care visits, you might find that DPC is a more cost-effective option, particularly if you have a high deductible insurance plan.

In summary, signing up for a direct primary care membership can complement traditional health insurance by providing enhanced access, personalized care, preventive services, and cost savings. It’s a choice that empowers individuals to take control of their healthcare experience and potentially improve their overall health outcomes.

While you are not required to have an insurance plan with a Direct Primary Care membership, we highly recommend that you maintain medical insurance. Direct Primary Care can address up to 90% of your medical needs, but a DPC membership does not cover the cost of specialists, hospitalizations, emergency room, and urgent care visits. Unexpected health emergencies, such as the need for surgery, can happen to anyone, and we recommend that you have coverage for these catastrophic events.

Absolutely!

No. While DPC may offer a similar level of personalized service, concierge practices typically bill insurance and also charge a high retainer fee. In DPC, we never bill your insurance for our services.

The primary care membership monthly fee covers all our doctor services listed on our services page. There are certain procedures (ex. mole biopsy, pap smear) where the procedure is free, however patients are responsible for any off-site costs (example lab or pathology fees). Patients can choose to use their insurance or pay the low cash fee negotiated by your doctor - which sometimes is cheaper than the cost with insurance!

The one-time $99 registration fee encompasses the time Dr. Long dedicates to preparing for your appointment, which includes obtaining and reviewing your previous records, creating your chart, and evaluating your health.

Dr Long works in the spirit of "do no harm" and for this reason Dr. Long does NOT prescribe potentially harmful controlled substances such as chronic benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin) for anxiety. We also avoid treating chronic pain with opioids. However, we do offer other therapeutic methods and non-opioid medications to manage pain and anxiety and will assist in referring you to a clinic that specializes in chronic pain/anxiety, if needed. We do NOT keep any opioid or benzodiazepine medication in our office.

Your membership is activated at the time of enrollment (enrollment fee and first month paid); after this time you have full access to the doctor. Monthly billing occurs on the 1st of the month, and billing is in advance.

Memberships can be canceled hassle-free, however 30 days written notice is required to cancel membership. Please note, a re-enrollment fee of $250 will apply for former members wishing to rejoin the practice. If you cancel membership twice you will not be allowed to rejoin.

We are available to our members with options for easily accessible same and next day appointments during business hours.

• After hours, our members can text or email non-urgent requests and questions which will be answered the next business day.

• For URGENT matters, members can CALL our physician directly if matters can not wait until the next business day.

• Any EMERGENCIES must be immediately assessed by calling 911 or by going to the closest emergency room. We recommend having an insurance plan for emergency care, hospitalizations, and specialty care if needed.

Most patients are able to use Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) to pay DPC membership fees though some employers may place restrictions on FSA funds. Please consult your accountant to determine how you can best use your tax-free health accounts to cover DPC services.