Frequently Asked Questions

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is an alternative to the fee-for service model of care, which prioritizes the doctor-patient relationship providing convenient access for patients with same day or next day appointments in person or virtually with their personal physician for a flat, monthly membership fee, patients receive direct access to their doctor and unhurried, thorough, personalized primary care. Instead of the traditional fee-for-service model, which often comes with long wait times, high copays and unpredictable charges, seeing a different physician or provider each time. 

No. Although both DPC and concierge practices offer patients increased access to their physician and extended visit times; there are differences between these two models, concierge practices bill insurance for each visit, and patients still have to addressed deductibles. On top of insurance charges, members pay a retainer fee simply for access to their doctor. This fee can be quite costly, usually thousands of dollars per year.

DPC practices do not bill insurance for their services which means reduce costs. Instead, patients pay an affordable monthly membership fee straight to their doctor's office. In exchange, patients receive direct access to their physician when needed and comprehensive primary care services.

No. DPC only covers the services provided by your primary care physician. We recommend that our members maintain active health insurance to be used for services not offered by our practice, such as imaging, appointments with specialists, emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Using a membership model allows us to see less patients in a day which translates to dedicating more time to our patients, convenient access to appointments and having a predictable, transparent, monthly membership fee which is a welcome change from the status quo.

No. We do not bill insurance for our services, which allows us to offer availability on same day or next day visits and extended appointment times. Patients with insurance are still able to use their coverage for laboratory charges from labs collected in house, imaging, and visits to other medical facilities.

No problem! Although we recommend that all patients carry insurance for emergencies, we have negotiated discount cash- pay prices for lab services for patients with no health insurance.

Not at present time. Because Medicare has specific rules regarding DPC practices, we are not able to accept Medicare, Medicare-eligible patients at this time under the DPC membership. We may be able to see on a one time visit fee some Medicare beneficiaries with out of network coverage, please contact us for more information.

No. Although we wish to care for you and your family long-term, sometimes things don't work out as planned. We ask for 30 days' notice for membership cancellation, which gives us time to prepare you for a smooth transition to a new practice.

Not many. The monthly membership fee covers just about everything we do at AG Medical Wellness from preventive care to acute care to procedures. There are no copays and no charges per visit for members. On occasion, there may be a nominal fee for select in-office procedures simply to cover the cost of special materials or pathology. In these situations, the charges would be discussed up front.

Absolutely. We assist to coordinate care with other specialists when needed.

Yes. We will assess the need for home visits on a case-by-case basis and schedule these appointments at the doctor’s discretion. Please note, there is an additional fee for home visits. Contact us for more information.

Email, text for any concerns or questions regarding non urgent matters, these will be addressed during business hours. Please call for any urgent problems, the doctor will triage all urgent symptoms directly. For emergencies and life threatening conditions please call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. The access provided to your physician comes with your agreement not to exceed expected boundaries for routinely care or issues that can be addressed during working hours.
Doctor vacations will be communicated in advance to allow for any perceivable needs and provider coverage arrangements.

Yes, direct primary care (DPC) can be a beneficial option for small businesses and their employees, it is a cost-effective solution specially for small companies struggling with high insurance premiums; for employees means no deductible or copays for primary care visits and improved access to quality medical care provided by an experienced board-certified physician. Small business owners contact us to learn more.