What is direct primary care?

Direct primary care (DPC) is a primary care model in which patients pay a flat monthly membership fee directly to the practice for unlimited or generous primary care services, and the practice does not bill insurance for those services. Typical DPC fees are $100 to $200 per month for adults. Insurance is still recommended for hospitalization, surgery, specialty care, and catastrophic events — DPC handles the primary care layer.

How is direct primary care different from concierge medicine?

Direct primary care does not bill insurance for the services covered by the membership. Most concierge practices do bill insurance for clinically covered services AND charge a separate membership fee. DPC tends to be less expensive ($100 to $200 per month versus $1,800 to $5,000+ per year for concierge), simpler in structure, and more transparent about what is included. Concierge practices often offer more comprehensive annual physicals and longevity-focused testing as part of the membership.

How much does direct primary care cost?

DPC monthly fees typically range from $75 to $200 per month for adults, with most practices charging $100 to $150 per month. Children are often included free or at reduced rates with a parent membership. Some DPC practices charge separately for visits beyond a defined number per year. Private MD's Foundation membership is offered at a founding-member rate (shared on a free call).

Is direct primary care worth it?

DPC is worth it for patients who value time with their physician, transparent pricing, and a closer relationship with their primary care doctor. The math typically works for adults who see their doctor more than two or three times per year, anyone managing chronic conditions, families wanting consistent care across members, and self-employed adults wanting to decouple primary care from insurance complexity. Patients who rarely see a doctor and are on robust employer insurance may not see the value.

Do I still need health insurance with direct primary care?

Yes — DPC is not a replacement for health insurance. DPC covers primary care: office visits, preventive care, chronic disease management, basic procedures, and care coordination. You still need insurance (or a health-sharing plan) for hospitalization, surgery, specialty care, expensive imaging, ER visits, and catastrophic events. Many DPC patients pair the membership with a high-deductible health plan or a health-sharing ministry to keep total healthcare costs manageable.

What's included in a DPC membership?

Inclusions vary by practice but typically cover: office and telehealth visits with the physician, preventive care, chronic disease management, basic procedures (joint injections, skin procedures, suturing, etc.), care coordination with specialists, prescription management, wholesale-cost lab pricing, and direct communication with the physician. Some practices include in-house labs at no cost; others pass through wholesale lab pricing.

How do I find a direct primary care doctor near me?

The DPC Frontier Mapper (mapper.dpcfrontier.com) is the most comprehensive directory of DPC practices in the United States. Search by ZIP code to find practices in your area. When evaluating practices, ask about panel size cap, what's included in the membership, lab pricing, after-hours communication, cancellation policy, and whether the practice offers a no-obligation meet-and-greet before enrollment.

20+ Years Faculty Experience Foundation · Concierge + Longevity Medicare patient? See Concierge →

Direct Primary Care

A plain-English guide to direct primary care (DPC) — how it works, what it costs, and how it compares to concierge medicine, One Medical, Forward Health, and traditional insurance-based primary care. Written by a board-certified internist running a small-panel DPC practice in Folsom · Granite Bay, CA.

Background reading: why your primary care visit is 15 minutes · what the satisfaction data actually shows for DPC vs insurance-based care.

One flat monthly membership · founding-member rate · Cancel anytime · Hindi · Urdu · Punjabi spoken

What you get

Direct physician access — phone, text, secure message. No portal queue.
Same-day & next-day appointments — small panel means we have time when you need us.
Unhurried 30 to 60-minute visits — virtual or in-person.
Patient portal for records, messages, and prescription refills.
Wholesale labs & medications — a full annual panel typically runs $17–25 here, vs $200–500 at hospital pricing.
GLP-1 weight management & testosterone replacement when clinically indicated — prescribed and monitored as standard internal medicine, not as an add-on.

DPC is not health insurance. It covers everyday primary care. You still want insurance (or a health-sharing plan) for hospital, surgery, specialty care, and emergencies.

What it costs

Foundation (Concierge + Longevity) is our entry concierge membership. Signature layers on deeper longevity and coordination, and an Executive tier is available by inquiry. We’ll go over founding-member rates and the level that fits on a free call. Couples can ask about combined pricing. Adults 18 and up. Compare the two memberships → · Request an introduction

Deeper reading — why your primary care visit is 15 minutes · what the satisfaction data shows for DPC vs. insurance-based care

How it pairs with insurance

Most members keep their existing insurance (often a high-deductible plan) for specialists, hospital, and catastrophic care, and use the membership for everyday primary care. We'll sort out what makes sense for your specific setup on the call.

Questions? Get a quick answer.

Request an introduction

or call (916) 512-1912

Is this for you?

Good fit if you're:

Managing chronic conditions (hypertension, diabetes, hormone issues, anxiety/depression) where longitudinal care actually changes outcomes
Frustrated by 15-minute visits that don't address what brought you in
Self-employed or paired with high-deductible insurance — DPC works alongside catastrophic coverage
Looking for transparent pricing — no copays, no deductibles, no surprise bills for primary care

Probably not the right fit if you:

Rarely see a doctor and have low-copay employer insurance
Are on Medicare (see the Concierge tier — structured for Medicare-participating physicians)

DPC Flagship

Metabolic Syndrome & Prediabetes — see what your glucose actually does.

A 2-week diagnostic continuous glucose monitor, advanced metabolic labs (fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, ApoB), and a personalized plan built around your real glucose patterns. The dawn rises and postprandial spikes a single fasting number can’t see — turned into a plan you can act on.

See the Program Request an introduction

Beyond routine — for the proactive

DPC covers everyday primary care plus the standard internal-medicine work that goes with it — including GLP-1 and TRT when clinically indicated. If you want testing and diagnostics beyond standard primary care — advanced cardiometabolic markers (ApoB, Lp(a), fasting insulin), discussion of multi-cancer detection blood tests, AI-quantified coronary plaque imaging, whole-body MRI options, epigenetic age, longevity-optimization protocols — those live in the Concierge tier, available standalone or as an add-on to DPC.

Want the full breakdown?

How DPC compares to insurance-based primary care, what the data shows on satisfaction and outcomes, and how the model handles polypharmacy and complex care — covered in depth on the blog: