aboutus
The Direct Primary Care Coalition (DPCC) represents primary care physicians, healthcare associations, employers, and others who support the advancement of state, federal, and private sector policies that bring patients and physicians together to help promote better primary care. Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a membership-based alternative payment model in which patients, employers, or health plans pay primary care providers in flat, simple periodic fees directly for unlimited access to primary care and prevention services in a medical home environment. Today, about 1,600 DPC practices in 48 states provide peerless access to great primary care to over 300,000 American patients. The DPC model is offered directly to individual patients and families, through employers, who often self-insure for their employee health benefits, through union plans, and working in conjunction with Medicare Advantage (MA). The DPCC believes that Americans of all ages and incomes should have access to high functioning, affordable, comprehensive, accessible, personal primary care. We think a pivotal part of the effort to promote choice and competition is to place a greater emphasis on primary care and preventive services by putting patients back in control of their care with assistance of a trusted personal primary care physician who knows the patient, and therefore can be that patient’s guide through the often complicated and expensive healthcare system.
Our Principles
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is an innovative alternative payment model for primary care being embraced by patients, physicians, employers,payers and policymakers across the United States.The defining element of DPC is an enduring and trusting relationship between a patient and his or her primary care provider.
Empowering this relationship is the key to achieving superior health outcomes, lower costs and an enhanced patient experience. DPC fosters this relationship by focusing on five key tenets:
1. Service: The hallmark of DPC is adequate time spent between patient and physician, creating an enduring doctor-patient relationship. Supported by unfettered access to care, DPC enables unhurried interactions and frequent discussions to assess lifestyle choices and treatment decisions aimed at longterm health and wellbeing. DPC practices have extended hours, ready access to urgent care, and patient panel sizes small enough to support this commitment to service.
2. Patient Choice: Patients in DPC choose their own personal physician and are active partners in their healthcare. Empowered by accurate information at the point of care, patients are fully involved in making their own medical and financial choices. DPC patients have the right to transparent pricing, access, and availability of all services provided.
3. Elimination of Fee-For-Service: DPC eliminates undesired fee-for-service(FFS) incentives in primary care. These incentives distort healthcare decision-making by rewarding volume over value. This undermines the trust that supports the patient-provider relationship and rewards expensive and inappropriate testing, referral, and treatment. DPC replaces FFS with a simple flat monthly fee that covers comprehensive primary care services. Fees must be adequate to allow for appropriately sized patient panels to support this level of care so that DPC providers can resist the numerous other financial incentives that distort care decisions and endanger the doctor-patient relationship.
4. Advocacy: DPC providers are committed advocates for patients within the healthcare system. They have time to make informed, appropriate referrals and support patient needs when they are outside of primary care. DPC providers accept the responsibility to be available to patients serving as patient guides. No matter where patients are in the system, physicians provide them with information about the quality, cost, and patient experience of care.
5. Stewardship: DPC providers believe that healthcare must provide more value to the patient and the system. Healthcare can, and must, be higher-performing, more patient-responsive, less invasive, and less expensive than it is today. The ultimate goal is health and wellbeing, not simply the treatment of disease.
DPC providers are committed to ensuring that American healthcare delivers on these goals.
leadership
Garrison Bliss, MD - Chairman of DPCC
BlissMD - Seattle, WA
Dr. Bliss is widely credited with being the first in the country to adopt the DPC model. He was the founder of Qliance, the first large scale DPC practice in the country. Dr. Bliss graduated Harvard College with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology in 1972, University of Utah Doctor of Medicine 1977; Internship: University of Washington Internal Medicine 1977-1978 Residency: University of Washington Internal Medicine 1978-1980.
Erika Bliss, MD
Equinox Primary Care - Seattle, Washington
A trail-blazer in DPC, Erika runs Equinox after serving as CEO of Qliance. Erika is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree in History from San Francisco State University and a Master's degree in Latin American Studies from Stanford. She completed her medical training at the Swedish Family Medicine Residency Program in Seattle in 2003. She was also Clinical Site Director and Director of Clinical Quality at Carolyn Downs Family Medical Center in Seattle where she served as staff physician.
Rushika Fernandopulle, MD
Iora Health - Cambridge, MA
Rushika has spent more than ten years involved in efforts to improve the quality of healthcare delivered to patients. He was the first Executive Director of the Harvard Interfaculty Program for Health Systems Improvement, and served as a Managing Director of the Advisory Board Company. He serves on the faculty and earned his AB, MD, and MPP from Harvard University. He completed his clinical training at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Clint Flanagan, MD
Nextera Healthcare - Firestone, CO
Clint is the founder of Nextera Healthcare, the first Direct Primary Care company in Colorado and has been a local Primary Care physician and Emergency Medicine physician for over a decade. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine and has over 14 years experience as an ER physician and maintains certificates in Advanced Cardiac and Advanced Trauma Life Support. Clint completed medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center then went on to residency at St Mary’s Family Medicine Program in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Mason Reiner
R-Health - Philadelphia, PA
As CEO and Founder of R-Health, Mason draws on broad and successful experience as an investor, entrepreneur, and start-up company executive. He has launched and managed growth-stage companies across multiple industries, including renewable energy, information technology,real estate, and healthcare. He is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations in Greater Philadelphia.
Philip Eskew, DO, JD, MBA
Frontier Direct Primary Care - Cheyenne, WY
Phil also serves as VP of Clinical Development and General Counsel for Proactive MD. He completed his family medicine residency at the Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center in Lititz, Pennsylvania in June 2015. Phil has become one of the leading policy and legal scholars on direct primary care, and was a Visiting Scholar at the Robert Graham Center.
Chris Miller, MBA
Everside Health - Denver, CO
Chris brings over 12 years of leadership, strategic analysis, and corporate development experience from notable health care organizations. He oversees the strategy and growth of Paladina Health bringing quality direct primary care to patients across the country. To ensure Paladina provides a superior level of care, he works in partnership with our clinical operations, field operations, population health management and business development teams.
Jeffrey Gold, MD
Gold Direct Care, PC - Marblehead, MA
Dr. Jeff opened his practice Gold Direct Care in 2015 drawing on his experience in private practice and hospital based practice in Massachusetts. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, attended the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and completed his residency in Family Medicine in 2005 in Scottsdale, AZ. Dr. Jeff is one of the leading voices in the Massachusetts Direct Primary Care Coalition.
John Collier
Proactive-MD - Greenville, SC
John is CEO of Proactive MD, a company which offers comprehensive health management solution that extends well beyond the clinic walls with access to on-site physicians, full direct primary care services, and excellent client support. Proactive MD engages the workforce, offering them a personal relationship with a primary care physician to deliver measurably better outcomes, making people happier, healthier,and more productive while significantly lowering overall medical costs for employers.
Joel Bessmer, MD
Strada Healthcare - Omaha, NE
Dr. Joel Bessmer and his wife Katherine founded Strada Healthcare in 2016 because of the growing need for cost-effective and efficient healthcare. He is the Medical Director of Strada and founder of Members MD. Dr. Bessmer is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and served as associate director of the internal medicine residency program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Kathryn Dreger, MD
Prime-plc - Arlington, VA
After 14 years in a private Internal Medicine practice, Dr. Kathryn Dreger founded Prime Direct Primary Care, PLC to focus on innovative patient care. She compliments her clinical practice with teaching Georgetown University medical students and residents as an Assistant Professor of Medicine. She is Vice Chief of the Department of Medicine at Virginia Hospital Center and has also been voted by her peers as a Washingtonian “Top Doctor” annually since 2015. Dr. Dreger serves on the board of The PPRNet Foundation, a charitable organization focused on helping primary care physicians improve patient care and population health. She believes passionately that Direct Primary Care can transform the practice of medicine and provide the type of care all patients deserve.
Kenneth Qiu, MD
Newport News, Virginia
Kenneth is a first year resident at Riverside Family Medicine in Newport News, VA. He graduated with a Bachelors in Neuroscience from the College of William and Mary and attended Virginia Commonwealth University for medical school.
Michael Freedman, MD
Evolve Medical Clinics - Annapolis, MD
Dr. Mike Freedman, Founder of Evolve, has a long history of providing care to fit the needs of under-served populations in Maryland. He received his Medical Degree from Hahnemann University Medical School in Philadelphia. While there, he led a group which built the largest student-run medical system for the homeless in the country, and was awarded the 807th Daily Point of Light by then President George Bush. Then, as Medical Director of Annapolis Outreach Clinic, Dr. Freedman personally grew the number of participating physicians from roughly 12 to well over 150. He also serves on the AAMC Medical Executive Board Strategic Planning Committee.
Rebecca Hart, MD
South Shore Medical Center - League City, TX
Dr. Hart received her medical degree from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and has been in practice for more than 20 years specializing in Family Medicine. She completed her residency at Baylor College of Medicine.
Tom Banning
Texas Academy of Family Physicians (TAFP), CEO - Austin, TX
Tom Banning is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, which is Texas' largest medical specialty society with more than 6,000 members. It focuses on the role of family physicians in providing quality, comprehensive care to all Texans.
John Blanchard, MD
Premier Private Physicians Management LLC, CEO - Troy, MI
Dr. John Blanchard is the founder of Premier Private Physicians and was past President of the American Academy of Private Physicians. He is board certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians in the specialty of Family Medicine and has full staff privileges at William Beaumont Hospital, where he completed three years of postgraduate residency training and served as chief resident.
Bethany Burk
American Academy of Family Physicians - Leawood, KS
As AAFP's representative on the DPCC Steering Committee, Bethany plays a vital role running the Academy's programming on direct primary care. She serves as a Quality and Practice Specialist at AAFP and has a BS from Park University in Business and Healthcare Administration.
Troy Burns, MD
ProPartners Healthcare - Leawood, KS
Dr. Burns is the founder of ProPartners Healthcare, Kansas City’s leading Direct Primary Care practice. He has been in private practice since 1987 and transitioned ProPartners to the DPC practice model in 2013. He previously founded and built a multi-state medical practice specializing in men’s health with 36 practices in 23 states. He received his Medical Degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and completed an Internal Medicine internship at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City.
Betty Rich, RPh
Connected Health, LLC - Wexford, PA
Betty Rich, RPh is a registered pharmacist and co-owner of Connected Health in Wexford, PA. Connected Health is proactive, preventative, and patient-centered primary care with a mission is to help patients reach their health and wellness goals. Connected Health provides patients with a wide variety of professionals that include a primary care physician, pharmacist, nutritionist, top of the line fitness center and physical therapist.
Andrew DeMarco, MD
Connected Health Medical Services - Wexford, PA
Andrew DeMarco, M.D. is a physician at Connected Health and has over 25 years of experience. Andrew graduated from Wright State University School of Medicine in 1989. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Started in 2014, Connected Health connects the dots from physical well-being to nutrition to fitness and beyond, and focuses on being proactive and preventative to keep patients healthy.
Dr. James Pinckney II, MD
Diamond Physicians - Dallas, TX
Dr. James Pinckney II is the founder and CEO of Diamond Physicians in Texas. Founded in 2012, Diamond Physicians is a membership medicine practice that focuses on the patient-physician relationship taking a holistic approach to medicine incorporating nutrition and fitness into the lifestyle of their clients. James has many awards and achievements such as the Jackie Robinson Foundation “42 Under 40” National Award (2014) and Super Doctors Texas Rising Stars (2015, 2016, 2017).
Lester Baskin, MD
Baskin Clinic - Portland, OR
Lester Baskin, M.D. is the owner of the Baskin Clinic in Portland, OR. Started in 2005, the Baskin Clinic is a direct primary care practice serving individuals, families, and employers. Lester enjoys helping people understand their medical problems and address them at the highest level—without time constraints. Lester completed his B.A. at Stanford University, 1990, his M.D. at OHSU, 1995 and Internal Medicine Residency at Legacy Portland Hospitals in 1998. He has been certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine since 1998.
Ben Aiken, MD, MSPH
Decent + Lantern Health - Asheville, NC
Ben is a family physician and entrepreneur interested in the re-emergence of primary care and societal wellness through clinic and system-level innovation and design. He is VP of Medical Affairs at Decent, seeking to provide affordable health insurance to all built on a DPC foundation. He founded and practices at Lantern Health, a direct primary care (DPC) practice based in Asheville, NC. He co-founded 3x5 Health, a collective of DPCs focused on employers. He completed his BA, MSPH, and MD through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is driven to transform healthcare to work better for everyone.
Jay Keese, Executive Director, DPCC
Direct Primary Care Coalition - Washington, DC
The founder of Capitol Advocates, a Washington, DC government relations firm, Jay has over two decades of experience as a health policy professional working with providers, employers, payers, healthcare technology firms, and states on critical delivery system reforms and advanced primary care models.
