Your Questions, Answered
What is Direct Primary Care?
Direct Primary Care is a membership-based approach to primary care. Members pay a monthly fee directly to the practice rather than using insurance for routine primary care visits.
That fee includes access to your physician and the primary-care services outlined in your membership agreement. By eliminating insurance billing for routine care, Dr. Thomas can spend more time focused on listening, problem-solving, prevention, and building a long-term relationship with you.
DPC is not health insurance. It is a way to receive personalized primary care without copays, surprise bills for covered membership services, or the administrative barriers that often come with insurance-based care.
Why is there a monthly membership fee?
The monthly membership fee makes it possible for Dr. Thomas to offer more accessible, relationship-centered care. Because the practice does not depend on billing insurance for each visit, there is more flexibility to schedule longer appointments, communicate directly, and care for patients without rushing from one visit to the next.
Your membership helps support:
More time with your physician during appointments
Convenient access for questions and follow-up
Same-day or next-day visits when available
Care coordination and help navigating referrals, testing, and treatment decisions
Transparent pricing for services offered through the practice
A smaller patient panel, allowing Dr. Thomas to know you well and provide attentive care
The monthly fee also makes your routine primary-care costs more predictable. Instead of budgeting for copays and separate charges for each office visit, you know what to expect each month.
Do I need health insurance to join?
No. Patients with insurance and patients without insurance are welcome to join.
However, DPC is not a substitute for health insurance. We strongly encourage members to maintain insurance or another appropriate plan for major medical expenses, including emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, specialty care, and costly imaging or medications.
Many members choose a high-deductible health plan paired with their DPC membership. This can provide protection from large, unexpected medical expenses while allowing the membership to cover their day-to-day primary-care relationship.
Dr. Thomas does not bill insurance for membership services. This means your care is not dependent on insurance-network restrictions, prior authorization requirements for routine primary care, or coverage decisions made by a third party.
What does my membership include?
Your membership includes the primary-care services described in your patient agreement. Depending on your practice offerings, this may include office visits, preventive care, chronic disease management, acute illness visits, care coordination, secure messaging, telehealth, and selected in-office procedures.
Some services may involve an additional charge, particularly if they require supplies, testing, outside facilities, specialist care, prescription medications, imaging, or other services not included in the membership.
Before any non-membership charge, we will do our best to discuss the expected cost with you and help you understand your options.
Are labs, medications, imaging, or procedures included?
Your membership covers your relationship with Dr. Thomas and the primary-care services listed in your agreement. Labs, medications, imaging, and certain procedures may be available at an additional cost.
When possible, we will help you access transparent, discounted cash prices for laboratory testing, medications, imaging, and other services. You may also choose to use your insurance for outside services when appropriate.
Our goal is to help you make informed decisions based on your medical needs, preferences, and budget.
What happens if I need specialist care or hospitalization?
If you need care beyond what can safely be managed in the office, Dr. Thomas will help coordinate the next steps. This may include referring you to a specialist, arranging testing, discussing emergency evaluation, or helping you prepare for a hospital visit.
Your DPC membership does not cover hospital bills, emergency department charges, surgery, specialist fees, or services provided by outside facilities. Those expenses would be handled through your insurance, another coverage arrangement, or self-pay.
When appropriate and feasible, Dr. Thomas can remain involved as your primary-care physician and help you understand your care plan after a hospitalization or specialist visit.
Do you accept patients with preexisting conditions?
Yes. Dr. Thomas welcomes patients with chronic medical conditions and preexisting diagnoses. DPC is especially valuable for patients who benefit from more time, continuity, medication review, preventive care, and regular follow-up.
If you have complex medical needs, we can discuss whether the practice is a good fit before you enroll. DPC works best when it complements—not replaces—needed specialty and hospital care.
Do I have to sign a long-term contract?
No. Membership is month to month, and you are not locked into a long-term contract.
All members sign a patient agreement that explains the services included in membership, practice policies, communication expectations, payment information, and how the physician-patient relationship works. This agreement helps ensure that everyone understands what to expect.
We ask for 30 days’ written notice if you choose to cancel your membership. Any prepaid fees will be handled according to the patient agreement.
Why pay for DPC if I already have insurance?
Insurance is important for protecting you from major, unexpected medical expenses. But traditional insurance-based primary care can still involve copays, limited appointment availability, short visits, delayed communication, and significant administrative barriers.
DPC is intended to complement—not replace—insurance. Your membership gives you direct access to a primary-care physician who can spend more time understanding your health, helping you make decisions, and coordinating your care.
For many patients, the value comes from easier access, more meaningful visits, personalized prevention and chronic-disease care, and the ability to address concerns before they become urgent or complicated.
Can I use my HSA to pay for my membership?
Beginning January 1, 2026, qualifying Direct Primary Care arrangements may be compatible with Health Savings Account rules. In general, a qualifying DPC membership may be paid with HSA funds, and having that membership may not prevent an otherwise eligible person from contributing to an HSA. The federal monthly limits are currently $150 for an individual membership and $300 for a family membership.
HSA eligibility depends on your individual circumstances, including whether you have an HSA-qualified high-deductible health plan and whether the DPC arrangement meets applicable requirements. Tax rules can change, so patients should keep their membership records and consult a qualified tax professional or benefits administrator regarding their own situation.
How is DPC different from concierge medicine?
Both DPC and concierge practices may offer improved access and more personalized care. The key difference is how the practice is paid.
Many concierge practices charge a membership fee while also billing insurance for office visits and other care. In contrast, a DPC practice generally does not bill insurance for primary-care membership services. The membership fee replaces routine insurance billing within the practice.
By operating outside the fee-for-service insurance model, DPC aims to provide a more straightforward relationship between the patient and physician, with transparent monthly pricing and fewer administrative obstacles.
Can I submit the membership fee to my insurance?
Because the practice does not bill insurance for membership services, you will not receive an insurance claim for your monthly membership fee. Some patients may choose to submit documentation to their insurer independently, but reimbursement is not guaranteed and depends entirely on the individual insurance plan.
We are happy to provide appropriate membership documentation when available, but patients are responsible for confirming benefits and reimbursement policies with their insurance carrier.
Is DPC right for me?
DPC may be a good fit if you value a direct relationship with your physician, want more time during appointments, prefer predictable primary-care costs, or would like help navigating a complicated healthcare system.
It may be especially helpful for individuals and families who want consistent preventive care, patients managing chronic conditions, people with high-deductible insurance plans, self-employed individuals, small-business owners, and those without insurance.
The best way to decide is to review the membership agreement, learn what is included, and consider how you prefer to receive primary care.