What is C.A.R.E.S. Direct?
A return to the fundamental principals of a doctor/patient relationship that saves money and improves care. It is based on a direct professional and financial relationship between the patient and physician, eliminating many of the burdens and complexities of traditional care that make it more expensive and less patient-centric. By eliminating the process of claim submission, a physician can routinely spend 45 minutes with a patient and truly understand their illness, frequently making expensive testing and referrals unnecessary.
What is the difference in concierge medicine and direct primary care?
The terms are often used interchangeably and essentially refer to the same thing. Direct primary care is a healthcare model focused on putting the patient first. That means treating them when they need it, never rushing patients through appointments, and being proactive with healthcare treatment plans. The doctor-patient relationship is just as the name suggests – direct. Direct primary care clinics don’t accept insurance, rather they choose to work directly with the patient, providing wholesale labs and prescription prices along the way.
How much does C.A.R.E.S. Direct cost?
C.A.R.E.S. Direct is a flat monthly membership fee of $60/person or $100/couple. This fee includes unlimited visits to see your physician and access to them whenever you may need them. This monthly fee also gives you access to wholesale medication prices, laboratories, and imaging.
Does CARES Direct accept health insurance?
No.
Perhaps the most critical distinction in our model of care centers on a direct, personal relationship between you and your doctor. That directness carries over to our business model as well. While the tender mercies of an insurance company might apply to the fixing of a damaged fender on your automobile, we see no reason for any insurer to have a voice about either the quality or the cost of your family’s healthcare.
We forgo insurance payments in order to save our patients from the arbitrary, intrusive decisions that inevitably follow with third-party payers. Furthermore, this direct fee-for-services arrangement frees us from the typical contractual agreements that prevent physicians from offering wholesale prices on laboratory tests, imaging, and medications.
As a patient of CARES Direct, do I still need insurance?
Yes, because we are not insurance. We recommend (but don’t require) that our patients continue to carry both a major medical plan and a health savings account (HSA) or Medical Cost Sharing Program (Liberty Direct or Medi-Share) to ensure financial help should hospitalization or referral to a specialist be necessary.
Can I contact my physician after hours? How?
By all means, yes! Because illness and injury do not respect regular office hours, you may call your physician any day, at any hour. We invite you to arrange for home visits, schedules permitting. You may call, text, or email your physician as needed.
How will I know if CARES Direct is right for me?
Schedule a free, unconditional visit to discuss your healthcare needs. It’s the only reasonable way to begin what, we trust, will be a long, productive, healthy relationship.
What if I have a catastrophic illness?
Your DPC doctor will help you every step of the way, helping to coordinate your care and guide you to the best specialists to make sure you get the best of care. Your health insurance maximum out of pocket will limit your financial risk, but having DPC helps you to stay below that maximum by eliminating co-pays, reduced prices on testing, and staying out of the hospital and emergency department. See this example.