Direct primary care, where patients pay physicians directly without involving insurance, has been steadily gaining popularity over the last decade. In this model, patients and doctors deal directly with one another, which can result in both increased access to health care and more affordable/transparent cost of care.
At Command Family Medicine, clients pay a flat monthly membership fee which includes increased access to practitioners, including the ability to text and email them directly, usually receiving same or next day responses. There is no copay and appointment times are longer (30-90 minutes), giving patients ample facetime with practitioners to discuss their concerns without feeling rushed. Patients can rest assure that they will be seen at their appointment time. Another benefit is wholesale prices for prescriptions, lab work and most in-office procedures. This means prescriptions cost 80-90% less than at a retail pharmacy and where a relatively minor procedure (like getting stitches) at the ER would likely cost around $3,000, at Command Family Medicine, the procedure would be closer to $20.
“Our membership can be an incredibly helpful tool for small- to medium-sized businesses that want to offer health care benefits for their employees, but simply may not be able to provide full coverage health care benefits via the traditional insurance model,” said Dr. Luke Van Kirk, who founded Command Family Medicine in 2015. “It can also benefit larger businesses, especially ones that are self-funded. Any time we’re able to help them save on prescriptions or visits to the ER, it helps their bottom line.”
The time savings for both employers and employees are also worth noting. “If an employee is sick or needs to see us for whatever reason, they’re not going to be spending half the day in the urgent care or the doctor’s office waiting to be seen,” said Dr. Van Kirk. Many issues can even be taken care of remotely via text message, meaning the employee may not even have to leave the office to receive care. “Because we’re much easier to access than traditional primary care, that means we can hopefully get people feeling better and back to work a bit faster.”
“The direct primary care model is just so much more efficient and cost effective,” said Dr. Van Kirk. “This takes away the need to use insurance for primary care, making it easier and more affordable to take charge of your health. You don’t use your car insurance for oil changes, and this is the same idea.”
Most businesses still like to carry insurance for some of the unforeseen health care challenges that may arise, but the direct primary care model allows for clients to receive timely and affordable care for more run-of-the-mill things that they would likely never hit their deductible for using traditional insurance. Some companies have even seen their insurance rates go down as a result of using the direct primary care model over filing a claim for every employee office visit.
Command Family Medicine offers a wide range of services including but not limited to:
• urgent care;
• preventative care including yearly labs, cancer screenings and lifestyle recommendations;
• biopsies of suspicious moles or other skin issues;
• regenerative medicine including platelet-rich plasma injections;
• various cosmetic procedures;
• laser treatments for hair removal, varicose veins and toenail fungus; and
• testosterone replacement therapy.
Prices for memberships start at $85 per month for individuals 27 years and older, $60 per month for people aged 18-26, $150 per month for a couple, and $29 per month for children of an adult who also has a membership. These prices drop to $70 per month per adult for a business with at least five people on the plan.
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