A Breakdown Of Direct Primary Care Terminology
But this whole new world of direct primary care (DPC) does have some lingo, and once you join the club—we want you to be in on it so that you understand everything about your healthcare.
So let’s break down the DPC lingo:
Membership Basics
(n) Direct Primary Care:
Easy to use, easy to love, hard as heck to explain to friends. Mostly because it’s pretty unbelievable. But here’s what it is in a nutshell: Direct primary care (DPC) is a membership-based model where members pay a fixed, monthly fee to get unrestricted access to their own primary care doctor through text, call, video chat, or in-person.
(n) Membership:
No more talk of insurance or policy. You’re a member now, and member means family. Really, it’s as good as having a doctor in the family. You get to text/call/visit your provider whenever you have a concern or just want a check up. There’s no limit on amount of visits or time spent with your doctor. Members have a relationship with their provider instead of their insurance company.
(n) Provider:
The safe word. While we’re often tempted to call anyone who treats us a “doctor,” it’s often not accurate. At First Primary Care, your primary care provider can be either a doctor or a Family Nurse Practitioner. Both are highly qualified to treat you, but if you’re unsure how to reference them—stick with “provider.”
(n) Spruce:
Your new favorite app. The Spruce app is how you keep connected with you provider, text or call them, schedule appointments, and even receive your lab results.
Cost Sharing
If you added Sedera onto your membership, you’ll need these words:
(n) Medical Cost Sharing:
A membership-based, non-insurance arrangement established for the purpose of sharing legitimate health care expenses between members.
(n) Need:
All of the medical expenses related to a single accident or illness that exceeds the member’s Initial Unsharable Amount (IUA).
(n) Initial Unsharable Amount (IUA):
The amount that members are required to bear on their own prior to any amount that may be eligible for sharing; IUAs are applied per injury or illness.
(n) Fixed Overhead Costs:
(adj) Voluntary:
There’s no contract or transfer of risk in a cost sharing community. Your one contribution to the community is totally voluntary, no-strings attached.
(n) Pre-existing Condition:
They don’t prevent you from being able to join the community. But there may be sharing restrictions associated with the condition.
