Direct Primary Care for employers
How does a DPC program for my employees benefit my business?
Health insurance and healthcare are consistent challenges for small businesses. That’s because, in many ways, the system is stacked against them. Small businesses by their nature have limited bargaining power, curtailing their ability to offer high-quality health insurance to employees at an affordable rate.
Employers can access a wide variety of benefits, including the following:
Predictable costs: The rates involved with direct primary care are set and stable. You’ll know precisely how much every employee will cost you, whether you pay monthly, quarterly, or on an annual basis. This isn’t necessarily true with health insurance; where premiums can often go up and costs can become unpredictable.
*It’s recommended that employees still have health insurance even if they are DPC members. This will help cover any need for specialist or emergency care. But, often, this health insurance will be less expensive or won’t need to cover as much due to the DPC membership. To be clear, DPC is not health insurance and is not a substitute for health insurance.
Healthier employees: Healthy employees are usually more productive employees. For a small business, this can provide a distinct advantage. Patients enrolled in DPC programs spend, on average, 30 days fewer in hospital settings and undergo surgery 80% less often. That’s because direct care encourages strong relationships with physicians, so doctors will see problems before they begin (or when they’re minor and more treatable).
Employee loyalty: Direct primary care presents employees with a tangible benefit. In some cases, your employees won’t have to pay for their own primary care; in others, they’ll receive that care at a reasonable cost. With the copays and deductibles present in most traditional insurance plans, employees are still on the hook for their own primary care–they just never know how much it’s going to cost. When your employees have access to a DPC doctor, costs are predictable–and employees are usually much happier with the overall arrangement.
What would direct primary care mean for my employees?
Many employees are frustrated with what they’re used to in a traditional setting. For the time and effort employees invest in seeking medical care, they don’t get much in return.
The American Journal of Managed Care estimates that it takes an average of 121 minutes each time a patient seeks medical care. (This includes 37 minutes of total travel time and 87 minutes at the doctor’s office.)
Out of those 121 minutes, patients spend 8-12 minutes face-to-face with their doctor. That’s less than 10% of the total time patients invest in seeking care.
Direct primary care flips this narrative.
A smaller patient pool and lower administrative burden allow physicians to spend as much time as necessary with each patient – whether it’s a 45-minute discussion of multiple issues or a quick phone call. Clinics also accept same-day appointments.
This drastic change in experience can have life-changing impacts on patient health. Employees are more willing to seek out care for chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure when they know their doctor will listen to them and work with them to develop a plan of action.
Employees also welcome immediate financial savings at the point of care: employees pay nothing out-of-pocket to use the clinic.
Are you ready to join the DPC movement?
Connect with us to learn more. We can meet with your benefits coordinator to answer any questions and discuss a smart plan for incorporating a Direct Primary Care plan.
Call (512) 640-0641