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. On the Launch plan, start dpc targets open doors in 90 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.
Three plans, billed monthly: Launch is $899/month, Growth is $1,495/month, and Practice is $2,490/month. Pay annually and save two months. A one-time launch fee is due at kickoff ($2,000 for Launch and Growth, $3,000 for Practice) and covers brand, website, and systems. Ad spend is billed separately. The 45-minute practice review is free.
See full pricingLaunch and Growth have a 90-day minimum and Practice has a 6-month minimum. After the initial term every plan is month-to-month, and upgrades start on the next billing cycle.
Launch targets open doors in 90 days: brand, website, practice software, and a launch-week campaign. After go-live we keep the marketing engine running to fill your panel.
Request a free 45-minute practice review. We look at your market, your timeline, and whether we are the right partner; fit is decided on the call. We take two Launch builds per month.
Request a free reviewNew to the terminology? See the Direct Primary Care glossary.
Request a free 45-minute practice review and we'll map exactly what your Direct Primary Care practice needs to launch and grow.
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