Employee Benefits Partner
Health care spending has been accel- erating, with chronic disease being the primary cost driver. 90% of the $3.5 trillion spent on U.S. health care is at- tributed to chronic disease manage- ment and treatment. Any attempt at reforming the current health care system should be focused on three key areas: 1. Improving health outcomes 2. Lowering cost 3. Providing a better patient experience. This is where direct primary care (DPC) comes in. DPC has been shown to sig- nificantly decrease the overall cost of a population’s health care while im- proving the quality of each person’s well-being. What is DPC? DPC is a proactive investment in pri- mary care that provides transparen- cy and delivers essential services at a lower cost. In DPC, a transparent con- tract is created between the provider and patient with a known upfront in- clusive cost for a specific set of care needs. This cost typically covers all visits, in-person and virtual, well and preventive care, and acute and chronic disease care.
28
BY JESSE OBERLOH
The DPC model is relatively new but has seen rapid growth in the past five years, with more than 1,400 practices in the United States. With this growth, the next phase of the DPC economy will enable employers to add this service
as a covered benefit to employees. Benefits for Employers
As employers continue to see premium increases of 10%+ annually, they have been forced to put more of the cost burden onto the plan members, resulting in high deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. A way to offset this cost burden is to offer DPC memberships as an add-on to the traditional health plan. A DPC membership can provide many routine and chronic condition management services at no cost to employees. In addition, many regions are experiencing shortages in primary care providers, causing individuals to wait months for checkups, screenings, and preventative testing. Most DPC clinics have same-day access to care for their members, resulting in services and tests when needed.
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software