Excessive prior authorizations, burdensome documentation requirements, and other administrative hassles have caused many family medicine residents to question whether they want to practice in the traditional, insurance-based payment model. That was the case for both of us and why we chose to take a leap and start direct primary care (DPC) practices straight out of residency.

DPC is commonly defined as a practice that charges patients or their employers a periodic fee (typically monthly) for a contracted suite of services and does not bill third parties (e.g., insurance) on a fee-for-service basis.¹ While previous FPM articles have detailed how to transition from an existing practice to a DPC practice,² we will focus here on our experiences starting a DPC practice directly after residency, including both the challenges and the benefits.

PREPARING DURING RESIDENCY

Using your time strategically during residency to learn about DPC can prepare you to open a practice and start bringing in revenue as soon as possible. Here are some ways to do it: