Many people have questions about what’s actually included in a direct primary care (DPC) membership. Here is a real-world example to answer that question. Let’s compare traditional insurance-based primary care with DPC through the eyes of two patients. Both are 30-year-old women who wake up one morning suspecting they have strep throat.

Patient One calls her insurance-based primary care office. Because her visit is urgent, she sees a covering provider she’s never met. She waits 45 minutes past her scheduled appointment time before being rushed into an exam room. The visit lasts 15 minutes. She receives strep, flu, and COVID testing. She later gets an itemized bill for a total of $400, since she has not yet met her high deductible. That rushed 15-minute visit cost more than two months of DPC membership.

 

Patient Two self-schedules through her practice’s online link. She’s seen on time. Her 30-minute visit gives her space to get tested and catch up with her primary care doctor about a chronic condition - and her PCP sends refills to her pharmacy before she leaves. Because testing and visits are included in her membership, there is no itemized billing and no anxiety about the cost of care.

 

I’m thrilled to introduce Meristem’s new virtual medical assistants, Celenia Muller-Roman and Joselin Ramirez. Between them, they bring decades of experience. They will be working behind the scenes to support your care, whether that’s rescheduling appointments, keeping your onboarding experience seamless, or coordinating with specialists and hospital systems. We’re so glad to have them on board. 

Meristem Family Medicine has had a wait list for new patients, and we’re excited to share that starting next month, we’ll be welcoming new members.

We'll be reaching out to everyone on the waitlist first with the next steps. After that, memberships and Meet & Greet appointments will open to the public.

Stay tuned — we can't wait to welcome you to the practice.

I recently had the opportunity to be featured on The Thriving Practice Podcast. It was a meaningful conversation on direct primary care and women’s midlife healthcare.

 

Direct primary care allows for a more thoughtful, relationship-centered approach—one where there’s time to listen, personalize care, and focus on prevention. It’s also a model where important and often under-addressed areas, like menopause, can be fully supported within primary care rather than fragmented across multiple providers.

 

This is exactly the kind of care I’m committed to bringing to our practice.