FAQ
Everything you need to know about the DPC model and about launching and growing your own practice.
Direct Primary Care is a membership model in which patients pay their physician or nurse practitioner a flat monthly fee for unlimited primary care — longer visits, direct messaging, and same- or next-day access — without billing insurance for those visits. It removes insurance billing from the primary care relationship so clinicians can spend more time with fewer patients.
Both charge a membership, but DPC fees are typically lower (around $50–$100 per month) and DPC practices usually don't bill insurance at all. Concierge practices generally charge higher annual retainers and still bill your insurance on top of the membership.
No. DPC covers primary care. Most members keep a high-deductible or catastrophic health plan for specialists, hospitalization, surgery, and emergencies, and use their DPC membership for everyday and preventive care.
Most practices charge roughly $50–$100 per month per adult, often with reduced rates for children and discounted family or employer plans. Many practices also pass through wholesale lab, imaging, and medication pricing at steep discounts.
Yes. DPC clinicians prescribe medications, order labs and imaging, and manage chronic conditions just like any primary care practice — often at significantly lower cash prices because they negotiate wholesale rates.
Yes, subject to your state's scope-of-practice and collaborative-physician rules. Nurse practitioners are one of the fastest-growing segments of Direct Primary Care.
Most solo practices launch for roughly $15,000–$50,000 — covering a small lease or a lean home/mobile setup, basic equipment, an EHR, and your brand and website. Monthly overhead typically runs $2,000–$8,000.
Model your numbers with the free cost calculatorMany founders go from decision to open doors in about 3–6 months. With start dpc, your brand, website, and software can be live in about 30 days so you open with members instead of an empty schedule.
See the step-by-step launch checklistIt depends on your fee and overhead. At a $75/month membership covering about $4,500 in monthly overhead, a practice breaks even around 60 members and reaches a comfortable income between 300 and 600 members.
No. DPC works as a brick-and-mortar clinic, a home-based practice, or a fully mobile/house-call model. Many new practices start lean to keep overhead low while they build their panel.
start dpc is a done-for-you growth partner built exclusively for Direct Primary Care. One dedicated team handles your brand, website, practice software, and marketing — everything but the medicine — so you can focus on patients.
See everything that's includedPhysicians (MD/DO) and nurse practitioners (NP/DNP/PA) who are launching a new Direct Primary Care practice or growing an existing one and want the business side handled for them.
Plans are month-to-month: Starter is $499/month, Growth is $999/month, and Premier is $1,950/month, with about 20% off when you pay annually. There's a one-time $500 setup fee when your website goes live, and your first consultation is free.
See full pricingNo. Every plan is month-to-month — you can change plans or cancel anytime, and the change takes effect on your next cycle.
We can have your brand, website, and practice software live in about 30 days, and keep the marketing engine running after launch to fill your panel.
Book a free, no-obligation consultation. We'll map exactly what your practice needs to launch and grow, then you choose the plan that fits.
Get started freeNew to the terminology? See the Direct Primary Care glossary.
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