Frequently Asked Questions

HSA? YES.  Good news! Beginning in 2026, you’ll be able to use your HSA to pay for your direct patient care membership. You can keep your high deductible plan for major coverage and you can use your HSA for ongoing primary care, all while saving on taxes.

So an HSA works like this. Basically you put in money pre-tax and if you use it for medical purposes, it is tax free. The IRS has set contribution limits for $4300 for individuals and $8550 for families with an additional $1000 “catch-up“ allowance for those age 55 and older. Like a flexible, spending account or FSA, except the money in an HSA rolls over a year after year.  There’s no “use it or lose it.“ The account is also portable, meaning it belongs to the patient rather than their employer, and it offers retirement flexibility. After age 65, funds can be withdrawn for non-medical expenses in the same manner as any other IRA or individual retirement account.  Together, these features make an HSA much more than a short term spending tool. For many patients, it functions as both a healthcare fund and a long-term savings vehicle.

FSA? Maybe. You will need to check with your plan administrator, but FSA funds should generally be able to be used for DPC medical expenses.

YES.  We will have electronic prescription transmission capabilities as we currently do. 

These medications can also be run through Insurance that you have.

Additionally, we will also have an in office Pharmacy that may be an option if you wish, but will not go through Insurance.  All controlled substances will be handled by outside pharmacies.

There have been cases where we have found that the co-pay through insurance is more expensive than just buying it at a direct patient care cash price in our new office.

Medicare
We will be able to refer to Medicare providers, including various specialists, such as cardiologist, neurologist, etc. In addition, we can also refer to physical therapist, speech and occupational therapy that already take Medicare. As well as those that do not.  

Commercial patients 
For our commercial patients, we recommend a (preferred provider organization)type insurance as this will make it much easier for us to suggest providers for you to see.

If you are trying to use an HMO (health maintenance organization) for referrals, that can sometimes be more problematic and you might need to have a provider within the insurance system to utilize that.

We plan to send orders for imaging to Element Imaging and Diagnostic Imaging Centers. Both have direct patient care pricing, which can be a significant cost savings. Especially Element Imaging. This will include plain films, CT imaging, MRI, etc. We can send the orders and send diagnostic codes that are normally required for your insurance to pay for this, but this will be up to the imaging facility to bill insurance on your behalf.

In the future we may add X-ray capabilities in-house, but initially we will not be.

The subscription is based on age. 

For individuals:

• 0 to 19 years of age is $40 a month, 

• 20 to 39 years of age is $60 a month,

• 40 to 59 years of age is $85 a month, 

• 60 years and over is $105 per month. 

For families it is $300 per month for a couple and 4 children, plus $20 per month for each additional child (for children 0-19 years old).

There are no co-pays.
Physicals and acute care visits are included.

Not included:
Laboratory, pharmacy and anything done outside of the office.

• Less wasted time

  • Less time on the calendar waiting for an appointment 

  • Less time in the waiting room

  • Less time waiting for results

  • Less wasted time with multiple appointments when more can be done at each appointment

• Less insurance company interference

  • Focused visits, first on your needs rather than population health

  • Fewer hoops to jump through (extra paperwork for both of us)

• More quality time

  • We will be able to have ample time during patient visits without the pressure to move onto the next patient

  • We will be able to communicate through messaging with fewer impediments

  • As part of a more focused patient panel, your needs will be more front and center

  • Typical face-to-face time between doctor and patient will be 30 minutes rather than 15 minutes, when you need face-to-face time

• Cost benefits

  • With a simple membership model, you will know how much your costs will be upfront

  • For patients who need more than one 30-minute visit per year or perhaps a 60-minute visit, there are potential net cost savings

  • With January 2026 law changes, you will be able to use HSA dollars to pay much of your DPC membership costs with tax advantages

  • For my existing patients the initiation fee will be waived

  • Special discounts on labs and imaging