Membership For Patients
As we welcome you to our practice I am pleased to offer you a choice when it comes to your experience as a patient with us. Traditional practices are often forced to treat thousands of patients just to make ends meet. For patients, this often means delays in getting an appointment, lots of long waits and being rushed through your visit. Our practice offers quite the opposite through what’s known as membership medicine or direct primary care.
How will I benefit by becoming a member?
Basically, membership medicine means service—better service for you from a doctor who has the time to be dedicated to your wishes and concerns.
If you choose our membership option, you’ll enjoy many significant benefits not typically found in a medical practice – which translate into better overall health and vitality for you:
- You’ll only see me. No nurse practitioners or physician’s assistants—ever
- Longer, unhurried appointments so I can address all of your concerns
- Same-day or next-day appointments for your convenience
- Brief or no office wait time so you can get on with your day
- 24/7 communication with me via cell phone, text, and email – sometimes avoiding an appointment altogether (see membership tiers below for type of access)
- Reduced likelihood of Emergency Department visits and hospitalization
- Fast and direct communication with you about lab work or diagnostic tests for your peace of mind
- Direct communication with me regarding your health records through our patient portal
- Thoroughly coordinated and communicated referrals to specialists or other providers
- If you are hospitalized, local visits to assist you in making decisions about your care
Additional Services for You
If you need to be admitted to the hospital, I will be there for you too. With privileges at New Hanover Regional Medical Center and Cape Fear Hospital, I’ll see you to help advise and guide you through treatment options and decisions.
As a member of our practice, you can also take advantage of our affiliations with other local providers for physical therapy, mental health, massage services, nutrition and exercise planning and coaching, and athletic club membership.
What exactly is Direct Primary Care? (as defined by DPC Nation)
Direct primary care, or DPC for short, is a simple idea that solves a very complex problem.
Here’s a thought experiment: what if you took all the worst parts about healthcare in America — insurance companies and their mountains of paperwork, greedy corporate hospital systems that don’t care about patient satisfaction, and all the shadowy middlemen trying to eliminate price transparency — and you threw them all out the window. That’s DPC in a nutshell.
It’s clear that the current system doesn’t care about providing great care. Have you ever scheduled an appointment months in advance, only to sit in the waiting room for an hour, followed by an unsatifying 10 minute doctor visit? That’s par for the course these days.
DPC is different.
As a DPC patient, you forge a relationship with a doctor who knows you. No more scheduling months in advance; your DPC doctor is at your fingertips. If you need an in-person visit, you can usually book one the same or very next day. Your doctor will stay on top of your health: running preventative tests, diagnosing you when you’re sick, prescribing medicines (and often dispensing them to you directly at wholesale prices — no extra trip to the pharmacy!), negotiating low prices on blood tests and scans, quickly addressing any health concerns or questions you have, and—if necessary—coordinating your care with specialists and hospitals. The vast majority of DPC doctors give you their personal email and/or cell phone number so you can call or text them with any questions!
How is this possible? By cutting insurance out of the picture. Insurance is fundamentally incompatible with providing comprehensive, compassionate care. When a doctor bills your insurance, they are forced to submit an itemized list of each and every medical service they provided. If they don’t, they won’t get paid. But—surprise, surprise—no insurance company will pay a doctor for answering one of your texts, reminding you to avoid red meat, answering when you call, opening the door for you when you arrive at the office, or asking about your family!
In DPC, you pay a flat monthly membership fee, usually around the size of your cell phone bill or a bit more if your doctor is an internist. You can pay with your credit card—no more clipboards with pages of insurance paperwork.
If it seems like everything is a subscription these days, that’s because it’s the best way for a business to offer a high-quality service and excellent support over a long period of time. What if Netflix nickel-and-dimed you for every movie or show you watched? It would be awful, that’s what. DPC is similar: you get access to nearly unlimited care for one low monthly price. Isn’t your health worth it?
This is healthcare like you’ve never experienced it. It’s like having a doctor in the family.
Do I still need insurance as a DPC patient?
Yes, you’ll still need insurance, though you may be able to reduce the amount you pay.
Your DPC membership is not an insurance plan; you’ll still need insurance if you have a major health problem. (But when those problems arise, your DPC doctor will be next to you to guide you through the system and coordinate your care.) That said, you may be able to save money on your insurance! Since all routine care is covered by your membership, you can switch to a “high-deductible” health plan that costs less per month.
Recently, some alternatives to traditional insurance companies have been gaining in popularity. You may actually be able to save money by joining a healthcare cost-sharing community.
Should I join a DPC practice if I’m healthy?
Absolutely! To be sure, your DPC doctor will always be there for you if you’re get sick or hurt. But they also work proactively to keep you healthy, happy, free of preventable diseases, and living a good lifestyle.
It’s hard to break out of the mindset of the insurance-based healthcare system. In “the system”, everything is centered around treating illness. It’s very hard for a doctor to get paid by an insurance company for detecting early warning signs of diabetes or encouraging a lifestyle change to decrease risk of heart disease. Doctors just aren’t rewarded for encouraging all-around good health.
By being in constant contact with your DPC doctor when you’re healthy, you’ll be able to stay that way. By the time you’re being treated for a chronic disease, it’s usually too late. But if you spend your healthy years under the watchful eye of a doctor that cares, you’ll be able to stay out of the hospital for years to come.
How do I join?
You may sign up by contacting Linda, our Patient Membership Coordinator / Office Manager,
What are your membership fees?
One-time Enrollment Fee for new patients of the Practice – $99
Re-Enrollment Fee: $250/individual
Tier 1 – Wellness Care Plan (young adults age 18-30, without complex medical issues, as determined by Physician)
- $50 per month
- $550 if paid upfront annually — ANNUAL SAVINGS $50
- Services included as outlined in Agreement with following limitations:
- Appointments limited to 12 visits per year
- 24/7 Direct access to Physician via e-mail
Tier 2 – Wellness Care Plus Plan (age 31+ AND age 18-30 with more complex medical issues)
- $99 per month
- $1,100 if paid upfront annually — ANNUAL SAVINGS $88
- Services included as outlined in Agreement PLUS:
- Appointments limited to 12 visits per year
- 24/7 Direct access to Physician via e-mail
Tier 3 – Wellness Care Premier Plan (age 18+)
- $135 per month
- $1,500 if paid upfront annually — ANNUAL SAVINGS $120
- Services included as outlined in Agreement PLUS:
- Unlimited annual visits
- 24/7 Direct access to Physician via e-mail, phone and text messaging
DISCOUNTED RATES available for couples.
- Call us at (910) 762-4488 to talk with Linda, our Patient Membership Coordinator / Office Manager
- Email us at info@WilmingtonAdultMed.com
- Or fill out our contact form and we’ll get right back to you
Are you ready to become a member?