In the midst of the current environment of steadily increasing insurance premiums and deductibles, short visits, and long wait times for visits, Northshore Family Practice in Bothell is now providing Direct Primary Care (DPC). DPC is a movement happening across the country led by both physicians and patients alike. Together, physicians and patients are removing the middle-man (insurance companies) in the primary care doctor-patient relationship. This is leading to decreased costs and increased access.
In Northshore Family Practice’s model, individuals and families pay a fixed monthly fee to be a member of the clinic on an ongoing basis. In return, all visits are included at no additional charge. This is different than concierge which often has higher fees and the doctor still bills patient’s insurance. With Direct Care, there are no co-pays or deductibles and there is no third party billing. Simple in-office procedures are also included at no extra charge. There is a physician on-call 24/7, electronic visits are available for convenience, and members receive a discount on the clinic medicinary (supplements, injectible medications, etc.)
“The way we utilize insurance for primary care medicine in the U.S. has created inflated service costs, high premiums, high deductibles, short visits, and a pill for a symptom kind of care.”, said Blake Myers, ND, Physician and Direct Care Manager at Northshore Family Practice in a press release. “Every year we are paying more and getting less. By paying our doctors a flat monthly fee to cover the vast majority of our healthcare needs, we can save a great deal of money, while receiving a level of healthcare access like most of us have never experienced before.”
Northshore Family Practice is currently the first and only Naturopathic Direct Care clinic in the Northshore area, and one of the only clinics offering Naturopathic Direct Care in the Greater Seattle area amongst a growing list of conventional Direct Care clinics.
About NFP: A family medicine/primary care and substance dependency treatment clinic serving the Northshore community for 15 years. The clinic transitioned into a concierge practice in 2014 and now offers Direct Care and Substance Dependency Treatment.
