Category Archives: Current at DPC Referee

DPC Alliance manifesto steps on its own foot attempting to prove that DPC saves money.

On May 13th, the Direct Primary Alliance published a manifesto: Building the Path to Direct Primary Care. It was signed by every officer and board member of the largest membership organization of direct primary care physicians. In so many words, it said: FFS primary care practice is being destroyed, financially, by the Covid-19 pandemic. DPCContinue reading “DPC Alliance manifesto steps on its own foot attempting to prove that DPC saves money.”

dpcreferee’s 2017 op-ed on Union County’s failure to save with DPC proved to be almost spot on.

In February 2017, I sent the op-ed piece below to the Charlotte Observer. It was not selected for publication. But it has been proven accurate in a detailed, independent study by a team of health care actuaries from the Milliman firm, known widely for its health care work. The study was prepared for the SocietyContinue reading “dpcreferee’s 2017 op-ed on Union County’s failure to save with DPC proved to be almost spot on.”

That “DPC is working while FFS is failing financially because of COVID” meme takes a big hit; proof furnished by DPC Alliance.

Reality: while it is may not be a pretty picture, no one has a clear view what the pandemic’s ultimate effects on primary care practices, FFS or DPC, will be. On May 13th, the Direct Primary Alliance published a manifesto: Building the Path to Direct Primary Care. It was signed by every officer and boardContinue reading “That “DPC is working while FFS is failing financially because of COVID” meme takes a big hit; proof furnished by DPC Alliance.”

DPC advocates: an undoubtedly small number of individuals can be as high as 23,000,000.

Summer 2019 DPC advocates argue against a $1.8 budget score for their pet DPC/HPHP/HSA fix. They argue the impact is zero, and they cite a study by The Moran Company that says: The number of individuals presently barred from HSA participation solely by reason of DPC enrollment is undoubtedly small. March 2020 DPC Coalition glumlyContinue reading “DPC advocates: an undoubtedly small number of individuals can be as high as 23,000,000.”

DPC: “Unlike FFS, we’re keeping our doors open, except when they’re not.”

Ahem, indeed! The thrust of the vox.com article cited by Dr. Edwards is that primary care physicians are losing in-person visits and telemedicine visits return fewer dollars. It’s key sentence: “Doctors and other health care providers have seen a precipitous drop in the routine visits they depend on for revenue, and experts fear many officesContinue reading “DPC: “Unlike FFS, we’re keeping our doors open, except when they’re not.””

DPC and the pandemic: more capable than FFS? Or less?

DPC advocates are talking a lot these days about how a pandemic shows the superiority of direct primary care. There are aspects they don’t talk about. The Milliman study’s survey — the same survey DPC advocates turn to when emphasizing, for example, how much telemedicine DPC clinics do — indicated that over a third ofContinue reading “DPC and the pandemic: more capable than FFS? Or less?”

DPC warns Congress: our patients are at financial risk; please spend $1.8B. DPC warns its patients? Nah.

Scene One. November 2019. In an open letter to Congress, the President of the Direct Primary Care Coalition explains that, under current law, payment of subscription fees to a DPC makes an individual ineligible to contribute to an HSA. Calls for passage of a legislative fix. Scene Two. March 2020. Discussing exclusion of the DPC/HSAContinue reading “DPC warns Congress: our patients are at financial risk; please spend $1.8B. DPC warns its patients? Nah.”

Why a policy wonk like Wyden should kill a DPC/HDHP fix for subscription medicine.

A 1.8 billion dollar subsidy to support subscription-model contraction of primary care patient panel sizes is a problematic policy in a country when there is a shortage of primary care physicians. I came to this trying to figure something out. We hear that Ron Wyden kept the DPC/HDHP fix for subscription fees out of theContinue reading “Why a policy wonk like Wyden should kill a DPC/HDHP fix for subscription medicine.”