Marion cut her finger on a Tuesday evening and might need a stitch and tetanus shot. The bill from her local ER would approach a thousand dollars with a large copay. The night is shot, with hours in the ER, and later filing insurance claims and adjusting bills. Instead, she calls her DPC doctor, who tells her to hold pressure, asks a few questions about nerve and tendon function, and asks her to text a picture. Her DPC physician tells her another option is to clean, bandage it and come in at 8 am for a tetanus shot and suture if needed. Her additional cost is zero because it is included in her monthly DPC fee and she doesn’t have to deal with claims later.
George has congestive heart failure, and has been getting short of breath for several days. He is out of state and calls for an appointment with his traditional insurance doctor. The front desk says he can be seen in two days. In the interim, he gets worse during the night, calls an ambulance, goes to the ER and is admitted. Total costs are tens of thousands of dollars along with near-death experience, large copays, and reams of paperwork. With adequate access from a DPC physician, he is asked a few questions over the phone, sent in a prescription for Lasix, gets rid of the fluid and is seen for follow up 2 days later. The total cost is $10 for the Lasix at the pharmacy.
Samantha has a child with sore throat and fever at daycare. She calls her DPC doctor and sees them that afternoon after work. He is tested, has strep, gets a shot and a prescription and is better the next day. Her cost is less than $10 for the prescription. No lost work. The following day, she also has a sore throat and calls her DPC doctor, fills a $10 prescription at lunch and avoids lost time. Otherwise there would be delayed care with more severe illness, copays, and two or more days of lost work.
Speaking of lost work, employers see big advantages to DPC.