Mass DPCC | direct-primary-care

Massachusetts Direct Primary Care Coalition

The Massachusetts Direct Primary Care Coalition (MassDPCC) is happy to announce its collaboration with the national Direct Primary Care Coalition.

The MassDPCC was formed in 2015 to promote Direct Primary Care (DPC) in the state of Massachusetts. We are a network of people who believe that the DPC model provides an exciting, alternative approach to building healthy communities and healthcare systems. Our Coalition includes healthcare practitioners, professionals, and advocates. Under the national umbrella, we join resources for ongoing advocacy of DPC nationwide, as well as for directed efforts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The primary objectives for Massachusetts are:

to share knowledge, experience, and resources
to advocate for enabling policies and legal frameworks
to educate healthcare practitioners, policymakers and the general public about DPC

NEWS

Massachussetts DPC Docs join forces within New England

In July 2016, a group of New England DPC doctors joined forces to form the New England DPC Alliance. Although still in the process of defining the organization formally, the Alliance aims to promote the DPC model within New England, to provide education to the public and other healthcare professionals/groups, and to support existing as well as new DPC practices. For more information, feel free to contact Linnea Meyer, MD, of Wellscape Direct MD in Boston, MA, at 617-918-7598, or Peter J. Sacchetti, MD, of Independent Health Advantage in York, ME, at 207-703-5365.

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LEGISLATION

With the assistance of the national Direct Primary Care Coalition, MassDPCC is advocating for regulations and legislation that safeguard the DPC practice model within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

DIRECT PRIMARY CARE EXPLAINED

WHAT IS DIRECT PRIMARY CARE?

Direct Primary Care is a model of healthcare delivery in which the primary relationship is directly between patient and doctor. It is an alternative to the traditional insurance-based, fee-for-service model. Instead, primary care services and direct access to your primary care doctor are offered at an affordable monthly or quarterly fee. Often included are individualized care, extended time for office visits, direct access to your doctor (often by electronic means as well as home/office visits), and advocacy for patients as they negotiate the rest of the healthcare system.

________________________________________________WHY DIRECT PRIMARY CARE?

For patients:

Personalized care with direct access to physicians (in-person or via electronic communications)
Unhurried office visits
Same or next-day scheduling without long waits
Potential cost savings through discounted medications and lab tests
Transparency of primary care costs
No complicated insurance statements

For physicians

Satisfaction from extended time with patients
Patient panels of 400-800
Simplified billing and lower overhead costs

For Massachusetts

Potential way for public and private employers to address rising healthcare costs
Offers an alternative primary care model, in keeping with the traditions of medical innovation and high quality care in MA