One of the primary benefits of regularly scheduled primary care visits is that patients have an opportunity to build a long-term relationship with their physicians. A doctor-patient relationship in primary care can be a significant benefit to your health. The better your doctor knows you and your care concerns, the better they’ll be able to guide you on your wellness journey.
That’s the ideal, anyway. In many traditional primary care settings, this type of relationship can be difficult to achieve. Primary care doctors in a traditional setting must see a large number of patients every day. Appointments are rushed, visits are short, and insurance considerations can get in the way of almost anything. For example, you may have to change primary care doctors when your insurance changes–making it difficult to maintain these healthcare relationships for a long period of time.
Direct Primary Care (DPC) offers a more effective way to create and nurture these doctor-patient relationships, so patients can enjoy the significant benefits that occur when a doctor really gets to know your health over a long period of time.
You Have Time to Get to Know Each Other
Building a doctor-patient relationship in primary care requires time. When a physician spends time with you, they have an opportunity to get familiar with your habits, your lifestyle, your diet, your medical concerns, and so on. In an ideal world, the duration of this conversation should depend almost exclusively on how much there is to talk about. But that’s often not what happens in a traditional primary care setting. Appointments are often short–and patients often feel rushed when asking questions.
In a Direct Primary Care setting, however, patients and physicians have far more time to get to know each other. That’s because Direct Primary Care clinics typically serve a smaller number of patients. This means they see far fewer patients per day and per hour. So your individual appointment usually includes time to discuss topics in depth.
Why That Extra Time is Important
When your primary care appointment doesn’t feel rushed, you’ll have the chance to:
- Discuss the details of your family history and medical history. These conversations will have an opportunity to explore additional details.
- Talk over your lifestyle and health habits. What are you eating? How much are you exercising? (And how much should you be exercising?)
- Discuss your medications and any healthcare concerns you might have. You’ll have an opportunity to ask questions–and get the answers you need.
- Explore any other healthcare concerns you might have and the best ways to address them.
To be sure, these are all things that traditional primary care doctors want to do, too. It’s just that in a Direct Primary Care setting, patients have more time to receive these benefits without feeling rushed.
The value in devoting more time to primary care is something that many other healthcare organizations have recognized. For example, VillageMD and Amazon OneMedical have both attempted to create this sense of time and space for patients. Unfortunately, neither organization has been able to match what can be accomplished under the Direct Primary Care model.
At a DPC Clinic, You Don’t Have to Deal with Phone Trees
When you call a traditional primary care clinic or your insurance company, you’re guaranteed to spend at least a little time working through a phone tree. (“Press 1 to speak to scheduling, press 2 to speak to medical records”–that kind of thing.) It can be an annoying and frustrating experience. Worse, you may never really know who your primary point of contact is. In fact, you may not even have a singular, regular point of contact.
This can make it exceptionally difficult to get your doctor on a phone call.
At a Direct Primary Care clinic, you always know who you’re calling. In many cases, your primary point of contact is going to be the physician themselves. This streamlines communication and makes it easier for you to get the healthcare information you need when you need it (it’s also a lot easier to ask questions or discuss healthcare concerns).
Your Personal Information Stays Personal
Over the past few years, several large healthcare systems and organizations have been the victims of cyber attacks. Anyone who was a patient at the facilities directly impacted (or the thousands of clinics these systems serve) may have had their personal information compromised. Many former patients may not even realize that their information was ever at risk.
That doesn’t happen at Progressive Health Primary Care because we don’t use the IT systems of any hospital or health system. Instead, we use one designed for DPC practices like ours. As a result, your information is less likely to get caught up in one of these large, system-wide hacks.
Creating Better Doctor-Patient Relationships in Primary Care
At a Direct Primary Care clinic, most care is covered by your monthly dues. Anything that isn’t will be communicated well in advance, so you’ll know exactly what you’re paying for. And knowing what you’re paying for can help you plan for your healthcare future.
As a member at a Direct Primary Care clinic, you can expect more access to your doctor, effective communication, and a more personal experience than you might receive with traditional primary care. Building a strong, lasting doctor-patient relationship in primary care often comes down to an investment of time and a high-quality patient experience.
Explore how a little more time and space can help you create a better personal connection with your primary care provider–and improve your health and wellness as a result. Call today to make an appointment.