What Is Direct Primary Care and Is It Right for Your Family?

If you've ever felt like a number in a traditional medical practice — 10-minute appointments, months-long waits, referrals that go nowhere — Direct Primary Care might be exactly what your family has been looking for.

What is Direct Primary Care?

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a membership-based model of primary care that bypasses insurance entirely. Instead of billing insurance for each visit, you pay a straightforward annual (or monthly) fee directly to your doctor. That fee covers the vast majority of your primary care needs — as many visits as you need, with no copays, no deductibles, and no surprise bills.

The model was developed in response to a broken system: insurance requirements force most traditional practices to see 20–30 patients per day just to keep the lights on. That leaves almost no time for the kind of thoughtful, relationship-based care that actually makes a difference.

What does a DPC membership cover?

Every practice is a little different, but at Burns Family Wellness Care, membership includes:

• Urgent care visits (same-day access for injuries, infections, and acute issues)
• Annual comprehensive exams with screenings and preventive care
• Chronic disease management for ongoing conditions
• Basic in-office testing (EKGs, flu tests, and more)
• Osteopathic Manual Therapy (OMT)
• Prolotherapy services
• Mental health screenings
• After-hours emergency coverage
• Priority appointment access

What's NOT included: labs, medications, vaccinations, and imaging. Dr. Burns negotiates discounted rates for uninsured patients wherever she can.

Why does limiting patient panels matter?

Burns Family Wellness Care enrolls no more than 200 patients. That's a fraction of a typical insurance-based panel (which often exceeds 2,000 patients). A smaller panel means Dr. Burns actually knows you and your family. She knows your history, your concerns, and your goals — and she has the time to act on that knowledge.

Is DPC right for every family?

DPC works best for families who value access, relationship, and thoroughness over the familiarity of the traditional insurance system. It's particularly well-suited for families who are self-employed, whose employers offer high-deductible plans, or who are frustrated with the fragmented care typical of large practices.

Because DPC doesn't accept insurance, most members pair their membership with a high-deductible insurance plan (for hospitalization and specialist care) or a health-sharing arrangement. The DPC fee handles primary care; the insurance handles the big stuff.

How do I know if it's a good fit?

The best way is to have a conversation. Reach out to us and we can talk through your family's specific situation — how often you use primary care, what your current plan costs, and whether a DPC membership would genuinely save you money and frustration.