The Direct Primary Care Podcast Show: Recent Episodes
Landon Roussel
The Direct Primary Care (DPC) Podcast is a podcast about a a new and innovative model of healthcare. Once thought to be a practice only for the wealthy, DPC is now spreading across the country and becoming available to all as a more feasible, more sustainable and happier model of care delivery. By charging a low cost monthly fee to patients, doctors are able to take back the freedom that was taken from them decades ago, and patients are able to reap the rewards of a doctor they know and who has time for them. This podcast hopes to empower those who are on the fringe of the DPC movement, or who don't quite know what its about, to embrace DPC as the answer to our nation's failing healthcare system. While the show is geared towards providers, those in insurance industry, hospital administration, public policy and even patients will find the show's content interesting and informative. In each episode, Dr Roussel, a direct primary care physician, radio show host and author, interviews a new guest about a different topic related to direct primary care, from insurance plans that pair with membership to legal issues when dealing with patient contracts and Medicare. So tune in to learn more about the model of healthcare that is rebuilding our system from the ground up, one doctor, one patient at a time.
In Episode 89, Dr Roussel discusses texts, calls and emails between the doctor and patients in a DPC practice. DPC practices by their very nature can feel extremely liberating for both sides to no longer have to deal with the madness of fee-for-service, but at the same time this new found freedom can lead patients to wonder how best to communicate with the doctor? In his discussion Dr Roussel discusses the challenges of being open to patients’ calls, texts and emails for their medical needs while at the same time creating a healthy, sustainable practice that can best care for the needs of every member.
In Episode 88, Dr Roussel discusses task management in a direct primary care practice. In particular, he elaborates on strategies to manage the large number tasks that are often required of DPC doctors. After a discussion on the key differences between DPC and fee-for-service when it comes to managing tasks, this episode focuses on how to work tasks into the work-flow of a practice to provide high-quality, high-attention primary care.
In Episode 87, Dr Roussel discussed staffing in a DPC practice. In the episode, Dr Roussel reviews what kind of employees a direct primary care practice needs to provide high quality patient care. In particular, he compares DPC practices to traditional fee-for-service practices and reviews some of the key differences as well as particular pointers for hiring/staffing when it comes to a doctor who is looking to convert/start a DPC practice.
In Episode 86, Dr Roussel discusses the issue of a DPC doctor’s schedule. In particular, he delves into the question of how DPC doctors should best manage their time now that no longer constrained by a per-visit quota. When more visits does not = more $, how does a doctor navigate the freedom of opportunity when it comes to setting one’s schedule with the demands of caring for one’s panel and running a sustainable business?
In Episode 85, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Garrison Bliss, founder of Qliance Medical and regarded by many as the founder of Direct Primary Care. In the interview, recounts his experience working for Qliance Medical while the company participated in a Medicaid initiative to provide comprehensive primary care to Medicaid beneficiaries, an initiative which failed in terms of fiscal sustainability. Dr Bliss further discusses his perspective on the similarities and differences between that initiative and the Primary Care First initiative proposed by CMS.
In Episode 84, Dr Roussel interviews Jay Keese of the Direct Primary Care Coalition about the new Primary Care First Initiative announced by CMS earlier this year. In the interview they discuss the background of the initiative in terms of Medicare’s goal to engage primary care doctors as well as the aims of the program based on his extensive discussions with the agency throughout the course of the initiative’s development.
In Episode 83, Dr Roussel discusses the CMS Primary Care First Initiative and how it could or could not work with his own primary care practice. In particular, he further elaborates on some potential challenges of incorporating a value based initiative into an existing DPC practice.
In Episode 82, Dr Roussel discusses the Primary Care First Initiative, a new alternative payment model introduced by Medicare to promote value and reduce cost in healthcare. In the episode, Dr Roussel gives an overview of the PCF Initiative before delving into the nuts and bolts of what this model is about, how it is similar and different to Medicare fee-for-service and how it may affect DPC practices.
In Episode 81 Dr Roussel discusses how much it costs to start a direct primary care practice from scratch. In particular he not only delves into the start up expenses needed to start a practice but also goes through a hypothetical scenario of funds needed to keep a practice afloat until it breaks even.
In Episode 80, Dr Roussel interviews Bethany Burk, Quality Specialist at the AAFP, and Amy Mechley, DPC Doctor in Ohio, about the 2019 DPC Summit. In the interview they not only discuss the details of the summit but the focus of this year’s summit compared to previous ones and the role of the summit in the context of the growing DPC movement.
In Episode 79, Dr Roussel breaks discusses how much overhead costs to run a DPC practice. In particular he breaks down the major factors involved in keeping a DPC practice open and how these are similar and/or different from a traditional, insurance-based medical practice.
In Episode 78, Dr Roussel discusses income potential for direct primary care doctors. In particular, he delves into how much direct primary care doctors can earn compared to fee-for-service or employed doctors.
In Episode 77, Dr Roussel interviews Mike Lubin, VP of growth at Hint Health, to talk about the third annual Hint Summit. Taking place in April 2019 in San Francisco, the Hint Summit brings together people from the healthcare space and the employee benefits space to explore, discover and grow the direct care movement. In the interview they discuss the agenda of the Hint Summit, new features of this year’s Hint Summit, and most importantly how the Hint Summit can help catalyze growth for the direct primary care movement.
In Episode 76, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Victor Chou of the Medical Marijuana Clinic of Louisiana about important medical aspects of medical marijuana. In the interview they discuss qualifying conditions for which medical marijuana is indicated, the current state of research with medical marijuana, formulations of medical marijuana, and important practical concerns for practices to take into account when dealing with medical marijuana consultations.
In Episode 75, Dr Roussel interviews Jacob Irving, lawyer, in-house counsel for Ilera Holistic, and lobbyist for medical marijuana legalization. In the interview, they discuss the status of medical marijuana across the 50 states, in terms of Federal law, and steps doctors can take to remain compliant should they decide to recommend medical marijuana.
In Episode 74, Dr Roussel discusses the medical, legal and social impacts of medical marijuana. In particular he focuses on how medical marijuana is likely to affect his practice in the wake of Louisiana’s Act 261 and how it will likely impact other direct primary care practices across the country in the coming years.
In Episode 73, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Shane Avery about the future of DPC and Medicare. In the interview they talk about Dr Avery’s meeting last fall with the head of CMS, Ms Seema Verma, and the head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Mr Adam Boehler, and their discussions on how to incorporate solo docs ‘into the fold’ of Medicare.
In Episode 72, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Robert Ryan, faculty member and co-founder of East Jefferson General Hospital Family Medicine Residency program, affiliated with Tulane University. In the interview they discuss trends in what careers family medicine residents are choosing when they graduate, increasing consolidation in healthcare, how these changes are impacting the doctor patient relationship, and how DPC can improve the status quo.
In Episode 71, Dr Roussel talks about the options for DPC doctors when dealing with Medicare patients. In particular, he details how DPC doctors can see Medicare patients and run a DPC practice. Also, he further discusses the new Final Rule released by CMS involving new payment schedules for primary care doctors.
In Episode 70, Dr Roussel interviews Dr John Bender, DPC doctor and recent candidate for President of the American Academy of Family Physicians. In the interview they discuss the current state of HR 6199, the bill to allow the use of HSA funds to pay for DPC services, and the AAFP’s efforts to promote primary care through DPC.
In Episode 69, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Matt Priddy about the ROAMD Curated Network of physicians. The ROAMD network is a new national network of physicians who care for one another’s patients when they are traveling and need to be seen by a doctor. In the interview they discuss the origins of the ROAMD network, how it works, what it costs for patients and doctors and how it can benefit DPC physicians.
In Episode 68, Dr Roussel interviews Drs Jona and Stephen Sasser of Tidal Wellness of Tidal Wellness in Wilmington, NC about their amazing disaster relief efforts to provide much needed medical care to victims of Hurricane Florence.
In Episode 67, Dr Roussel interviews Kyna Fong, co-founder and CEO of Elation Health, Inc. In the interview they discuss the Elation Health EHR, including its inspiration, how its different from many EHRs out there, and how the company is reaching out to DPC doctors.
In Episode 66, Dr Roussel interviews Dr David Craig of Spruce Health about the Spruce telecommunication platform. In the interview they discuss how the Spruce Health platform originated, how Spruce works with an electronic health record (EHR), how Spruce can facilitate/improve patient care and how spruce can help DPC practices.
In Episode 65, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Josh Umbehr and Kirk Umbehr of Atlas MD EHR. In the interview they discuss the Atlas MD electronic health records system. In particular, they discuss why Dr Josh decided to develop an EHR platform, how the platform is tailored to DPC, what integrations the platform offers and how the platform is or is not HIPAA compliant.
In Episode 64, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Vineeth Yeddula and Dr Michael Hein, co-founders of KPI Ninja, a DPC analytics company. In the interview they discuss how they provide data on quality and patient care for DPC practices, why they believe DPC practices can benefit from their services and the importance of analytics for the DPC movement.
In Episode 63, Dr Roussel interviews Zak Holdsworth, co-founder and CEO of Hint Health about the Hint Health platform, a cloud-based software for Direct Primary Care Practice management. In the interview they talk about Hint’s history in DPC and its new technology solutions that it has on the horizon to support direct primary care practices.
In Episode 62, Dr Roussel interviews Dr James Pinckney, CEO and co-founder of diamond physicians, about defining one’s DPC practice brand. Practicing a new model that is primary care focused, DPC doctors face the task of building a brand around themselves that patients can buy into. This episode is about how Dr James Pinckney did this with Diamond Physicians, a nationally recognized DPC brand, and how other DPC docs can do the same as they grow their DPC practice.
In Episode 61, Dr Roussel interviews Mr David Maples, CEO and co-founder of Catapult Creative Media, a digital marketing agency in Baton Rouge, LA. In the interview, David talks about the importance of website design when marketing one’s DPC practice, what factors to consider when building one’s website, and whether to outsource website to an outside agency.
In Episode 60, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Chris Habig of Freedom HealthWorks, a DPC marketing company, that helps practices grow from idea to profitable business. In their discussion they talk in depth about Freedom HealthWorks: how it works, why they founded it, what they offer, how much they cost, and how they respond to the ‘third-party’ critique, and much more.
In Episode 59, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Matt Priddy, founder of Priority Physicians, a DPC practice in Indianapolis, IA. In the interview they discuss how the clinic has developed a comprehensive marketing strategy over nearly two decades of being in operation. In particular, they discuss what’s been most effective in the direct primary care setting versus what’s been less effective.
In Episode 58, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Nick Tomsen of Antioch Family Medicine in Wichita, KS about ‘Turbo-charging’ his direct primary care practice membership. In the interview they talk about the strategies that helped grow his practice from zero to full in little more than a year as well as some strategies that were not as effective. This is the first part of a series on marketing for DPC, aimed at helping practices achieve their target number as soon as possible.
In Episode 57, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Dave Denniston, financial advisor and host of the podcast “The Freedom Formula for Physicians” about financial freedom for physicians. In the interview he talks about some challenges that physicians face when trying to achieve financial freedom, ways that physicians can take charge of their finances to reach financial independence and how direct primary care doctors, even when practicing lesser known model, can work towards financial freedom.
In Episode 56, Dr Roussel interviews Dr David Draghinas of the Doctors Unbound Podcast. Dr Draghinas, an anesthesiologist by training, started the Doctors Unbound Podcast as a way of showcasing doctors who are doing unique and amazing work that is different from the status quo. In doing so, he hopes to promote the profession’s image, amidst ever increasing threat of its prestige and position.
In Episode 55, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Jamie Lagarde, CEO of Sedera Health, a health sharing organization that focuses on small businesses. In the interview Mr Jamie explains the history of Sedera, how the Sedera plan works, how its helped small businesses save 50-75% off their healthcare coverage while reducing the hassle of getting expenses paid, and how they pair up with Direct Primary Care practice membership.
In Episode 54, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Scott Conard, family doctor and consultant for brokerage firms and large employers, about building railroads between DPC doctors and large employer groups. In the interview they discuss some of the barriers employers face to hiring DPC doctors and some possible solutions to allow employees of companies to the likes of Exxon, GE and other fortune 500 companies to have DPC as a covered benefit.
In Episode 53, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Staci Benson of Paradigm Family Health about the 2018 DPC Summit. In the interview Dr Benson give a brief recap of each talk at the Direct Primary Care Summit, ranging from Dr Gold’s “Salveo” tattoo to Dr Erika Bliss’ candid discussion of Qliance’s failure to Dr Julie Gunther’s heartfelt reflection on the impact of pressure on her personal growth and maturity.
In Episode 52, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Phil Eskew about updates to the bill (formerly HR 365, now HR 6317) allowing people to use their HSA to pay for direct primary care services. He also interviews several doctors at the DPC Summit (Dr Yusuf Mathai, Dr Claudia Emmons & Dr Chris Larson) about why they chose direct primary care.
In Episode 51, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Richard Brewer of Paragon Benefits, a third party administration company, about their work ‘bringing clarity in this dysfunctional industry’ of health insurance. In particular, they talk about Paragon’s work providing affordable insurance to employer groups by going outside of traditional networks and how this can pair up with direct primary care to provide comprehensive coverage at a fraction of the cost.
In Episode 50, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Jeremy Smith of MyMDConnect, an innovative company that is crafting direct primary care focused insurance plans for employers. In the interview they discuss how their insurance plans evolved, how they work, how they save money and how they are crafted exclusively to pair up with direct primary care.
In Episode 8 of the Direct Primary Care Podcast, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Garrison Bliss, the first doctor to practice direct primary care and the founder of Qliance, the nation's first direct primary care practice. In their discussion, Dr Bliss discussions the origins of the direct primary care model, how it led to a national movement to restore healthcare and what its future is for the country.
In Episode 49, Dr Roussel talks with Mr Jeff Blackwell, audio master of the Direct Primary Care Podcast, about his work behind the scenes of the podcast. In the interview they talk about Jeff’s career path in audio, radio and television and how he came to become part of the DPC podcast. As well in this episode, Dr Roussel gives a look ahead at what lies in store for the rest of the year for the DPC Podcast.
In Episode 48, Dr Roussel interviews Mr David Contorno, coined by Dave Chase as “One of America’s Most Innovative Insurance Brokers,” about “How to Pick a Benefits Strategist.” In the interview they discuss the financial incentives that keep benefits strategists offering high-cost, low value plans. Beginning with his own story of reform, Mr Contorno elaborates on how and why he left the major carriers to focus on high-value self-funded plans that pair with Direct Primary Care and how other brokers can do the same.
In Episode 47, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Dave Chase, author of “CEO’s Guide to Restoring the American Dream,” founder of the HealthRosetta movement, a regular author for Forbes and successful serial healthcare start-up entrepreneur. In the interview they discuss why healthcare for companies has become unsustainably expensive and how this situation can be changed to provide value for money spent on healthcare.
In Episode 46, ‘Q&A: The Elephant and Rider Analogy,’ Dr Roussel elaborates on the popular analogy that has been used to describe the psychology of institutional change. In particular, he discusses how the analogy has been applied to healthcare and why such an analogy may not be the best metaphor for the DPC movement.
In Episode 45, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Dutch Rojas, CEO & founder of Sano Surgery and a disruptive broker of ambulatory surgical services about his work negotiating bundled payment deals for employers and health plans. In the interview they talk about how bundling payment for surgery can lower cost to employers, why surgery centers and hospitals are eager to accept a bundled payment, why major carriers are reluctant to negotiate bundled payments and how bundled payment can work with direct primary care to lower cost for a wrap-around plan.
In Episode 44, Dr Roussel talks with Dr Paul Thomas of Plum Health about the Hint Summit. In their discussion they review major talks from the Hint Summit of 2018, bringing together doctors, health insurance brokers, business leaders, health IT companies and more to talk about how to catalyze healthcare reform in a way that adds value, lowers costs, improves relationships and satisfaction and has DPC at its cornerstone. Tune in as they review talks from Dr Zuban Damania (ZDoggMD), Dave Chase, Dr Garrison Bliss, Dutch Rojas, David Contorno, Dr Ryan Nuehofel, Mr Jay Keese and many more.
In Episode 43, Q&A Friday: The Amazon, Berkshire and Chase Healthcare Venture, Dr Roussel discusses the new healthcare company recently formed by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and Chase. In particular he elaborates on the potential of such a venture to disrupt healthcare by making the market more competitive and what this could mean for Direct Primary Care.
In Episode 42, Dr Roussel interviews Bethany Burk of the AAFP and Larry Bauer of the FMEC about the 2018 DPC Summit Pre-Conference. The pre-conference is going to happen on the day prior to the DPC Summit and is an opportunity for employers, employee benefits specialists, healthcare consultants and doctors to come together, network and learn how DPC and employer self-insurance can better pair up to lower healthcare costs and improve value for companies.
In Episode 41, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Kylie Vanaman and Bethany Burk of the AAFP about the 2018 DPC Summit. In the interview they not only discuss location and venue for the DPC Summit but also the focus of the Summit and its importance to the DPC movement.
In Episode 40, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Keith Smith, the co-founder of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, an ambulatory surgery center that offers low-cost, fixed price surgeries at dramatically reduced prices. In the interview Dr Smith talks about how the Center has been able to dramatically reduce prices by cutting out the middle-man of insurance companies and facility fees as well as how surgery centers working towards transparency and value can collaborate with direct primary care doctors to lower costs and improve value for the healthcare system.
In Episode 39, Dr Roussel elaborates on the question: how rural is too rural for DPC? In the Episode he discusses what factors have influenced and can influence the feasibility of a direct primary care practice being set up in a rural area.
In Episode 38, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Rashika Fernandopulle about Iora Health, a DPC company that specializes in providing primary care to large employer groups. A trend-setting organization, Iora provides high-quality, comprehensive primary care without any fee-for-service based contracts. In the interview they discuss how Iora is lowering healthcare costs and improving quality for employers by investing in health and wellness and prioritizing relationships.
In Episode 37, Dr Roussel interviews Mr George Claassen of the DPCFriendlyBroker.com. Mr Claassen is an insurance broker in Massachusetts who works with DPC doctors throughout the Northeast. In the interview he talks about his experience working with DPC doctors and patients to find suitable wrap-around insurance plans, what kinds of plans are best suited to pair with DPC practice membership and how doctors and patients looking for wrap-around coverage can find a broker who can help.
In Episode 36, Dr Roussel interviews employee benefits specialists Suzy Johnson and Rachel Miner of Employee Benefits Advisors of the Carolinas about their experience offering DPC as an employee benefit to clients. In particular they discuss how DPC adds value to their clients and provides them with a much needed service for affordable healthcare. In addition they discuss how they’ve been able to pair this with ‘wrap-around’ insurance plans that save the employer money on premiums and improves the employees' access to care.
In Episode 35, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Clint Flanagan of Nextera Health about Nextera’s experience providing DPC as a corporate benefit to employees of Digital Globe. Providing DPC to employees as a covered benefit, says Dr Flanagan, yielded promising results in terms of the health of the employees and the cost of care. In the interview they discuss how the arrangement came about, how DPC saved money and improved health for the company and how this experience can be replicated with other companies and DPC practices.
In Episode 34, Dr Roussel discusses the meaning of DPC. What is Direct Primary Care? With the name’s rising popularity, it’s been used to describe practice models that to many DPC doctors seem quite far from the ideals and the spirit of what DPC is supposed to be. In the episode, Dr Roussel elaborates on some elements of a DPC that have been considered essential to a DPC practice and on the more fundamental question of what is the whole DPC venture about.
In Episode 33, Dr Roussel interviews Zak Holdsworth, CEO of Hint Health, and Paul Lacey, Senior Director of Marketing at Hint Health, about the Hint Summit. In addition to their discussion of the timing and venue of the conference, their interview covers the larger question of what extent DPC should engage the corporate world to grow while at the same time maintaining the professional independence that makes DPC so attractive and unique.
In Episode 32, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Adam Tidwell of the PartnersOne organization about bartering for healthcare. The PartnersOne is a trade organization that operates in the Baton Rouge area, with over 800 businesses and sister exchanges all throughout the Southeastern US, that facilitates a bartering economy amongst its members. In the interview they further discuss how it can be used to facilitate the exchange of goods and services, how it supports the local economy and how it can work for DPC.
In Episode 31, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Joey Dupont of the 225 Trade organization about bartering for healthcare. The 225 trade organization is a group of over 800 businesses in the Baton Rouge area, with sister exchanges all throughout the Southeastern US, that facilitates a bartering economy amongst its members. In the interview they discuss how the trade process works, what kinds of goods and services can be bought & sold on trade and how trade can work for DPC.
In Episode 30, Dr Roussel discusses his own clinic’s response to Medicare’s Request for Information regarding DPC and Medicare. In particular, he discusses why his reservations to working with the government as a payor while at the same time expressing hope in giving many ill and bed-bound in his community the opportunity to receive high-quality primary care through legal/institutional means readily available.
In Episode 29, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Jay Keese of the Direct Primary Care Coalition about the Coalition’s response to Medicare’s Request for Information (RFI) regarding DPC and Medicare. In the interview they discuss the context of the RFI--when it was issued and what its purpose was. As well they further discuss the potential impact of a DPC pilot for Medicare and how the Coalition believes that Medicare should attempt to incorporate DPC while avoiding some of the pitfalls of fee-for-service care that are forcing many doctors to opt out.
In Episode 28, Dr Roussel interviews Drs Julie Gunther and Ryan Neuhofel about the Direct Primary Care Alliance’s (DPCA) response to Medicare’s Request for Information (RFI). In the interview they discuss the need to keep direct primary care as free from third parties as possible while at the same time expressing some openness to a potential path for Medicare recipients to be able receive primary care from a DPC practice as part of their covered services.
In Episode 27, Dr Roussel reviews Medicare’s Request for Information about Direct Primary Care. In particular, he talks about what particular questions the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) have asked about DPC, what future directions CMS could take with regards to DPC and what impact it could have within the DPC community.
En episodio 26, Dr Landon Roussel, que es doctor de atención primaria en Louisiana, entrevista a las doctoras Kissi Rosabel Blackwell y Dalian Caraballo sobre un nuevo modelo de cuidado médico que se llama atención directa primaria. En este modelo, el paciente paga directo al doctor un precio razonable (generalmente approx $50) para membrecía con la clínica. En su charla, hablan de cómo estas dos doctoras han podido formar nuevas relaciones con la comunidad hispana por ir directo al paciente.
In Episode 25, Dr Roussel interviews Drs Kissi Rosabel Blackwell and Dalian Caraballo about direct primary care and its role in the hispanic community. In the discussion, they talk about how their DPC practices provided access to healthcare to many hispanics and immigrants who have not formerly had access by charging fair, affordable cash prices for medical services. As well, they discuss how breaking the linguistic barrier has added an even further depth to the doctor patient relationship and helped them develop new bonds with the local hispanic community.
Episode 24 is the first part of a series called “Q&A Fridays,” started in response to questions submitted by listeners. This episode answers the question: What are the best books, blogs and other resources for potential (and current) DPC doctors? Dr Roussel gives his answer of what he’s found helpful as a DPC doctor in starting his practice and what he’s found helpful that has come out since his practice has started.
In Episode 23 Dr Roussel interviews Dr Vance Lassey of Holton Direct Care in Holton, KS about DPC and maternity care. In the interview they discuss Dr Vance’s experience offering maternity and obstetrical care as part of DPC patient services, including how he structured pricing, handled call and interacted with the hospital. Their discussion not only offers insight into the wealth of possibilities available to a DPC arrangement but also shows how going direct can improve coordination and reduced cost associated with childbirth and delivery.
In Episode 22, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Kortney West of West Pediatrics about doing house calls under a direct primary care arrangement. Dr West is a pediatrician by training who started her career as an employed pediatrician by a major hospital system. In the interview she discusses the convenience house calls provides to pediatrics patients and their families, how pediatrics house calls differ from house calls in adult medicine, the added level of relationship that comes with house calls, the time and attention allowed by going direct and importantly how this has been made possible only via a direct primary care arrangement.
In Episode 21, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Marguerite Duane and Dr Matthew Haden of Modern Mobile Medicine about their House Call focused DPC practice. In the interview they discuss their motivation to pursue a House call focused DPC practice, some key differences between a House call practice and a clinic practice, and how the practice was made possible only by going direct.
In Episode 20, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Pamela Wible on stemming the tide of physician suicide and burnout via Direct Primary Care. Dr Wible is an internationally known author, speaker and physician who has spoken on physician suicide, and in addition to being a direct primary care physician, she runs a retreat multiple times per year geared at helping physicians find joy in their profession through designing their ideal medical clinic. In the episode they discuss factors that lead to burnout and suicide in the profession, important steps that can be taken to halt & reverse these unfortunate trends, and most importantly how DPC has the potential to alleviate the situation.
In Episode, 19, Dr Roussel interviews Jim Eischen of McGlinchey Stafford, a nationally recognized attorney with expertise in Direct Primary Care. Jim has been providing legal services to DPC physicians for nearly a decade and is recognized by the American Academy of Family Physicians as a compliance expert regarding Medicare. In the interview they discuss if/how doctors who take Medicare assignment can charge a periodic fee, what is required of physicians to opt out of Medicare and what decisions to consider when deciding whether to accept Medicare or not.
In Episode 18, Dr Roussel interviews Luanne Leeds of Leeds Law in Topeka, KS. Luanne is an experienced Direct Primary Care attorney who has helped dozens if not hundreds of doctors draft their patient agreement. In the interview they discuss key points to include in a direct care patient agreement and pitfalls to help avoid misunderstanding. They also discuss how a doctor who practices under a direct healthcare arrangement can find an attorney in their area and how much a physician could expect to pay in legal fees for having a patient agreement drafted.
In Episode, 17, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Joseph Sheppard of the Free Market Physician about financial planning for a DPC practice. Given the novelty of DPC, concrete financial predictions can be a challenge, though necessary. With fours years experience running his own DPC, Dr Sheppard brings insight into the financial realities of running a DPC practice. In the interview, Dr Sheppard outlines how, with appropriate foresight, a new/future DPC doc or early-on DPC doctor can begin to predict costs and revenues. He further details what costs he believes are essential and how to increase revenues early on to make ends meet.
In Episode 16, Dr Roussel interviews Kurt Wagner of National General Insurance and Mandy Jacobson of NY Life Insurance about short term medical plans. Short term medical plans can provide coverage of major medical expenses for a period of 3 months or more (even up to a year) at a fraction of the cost of major medical plans. Kurt and Mandy are both insurance agents in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with extensive experience in health insurance. In the interview they discuss how short term medical plans work, how much they cost, and how they can be paired with a DPC practice membership.
In Episode 15, Dr Roussel interviews Dan Meylan of Allied National Insurance plans about self-funded insurance plans that pair with DPC. As one of the only insurance companies with experience writing insurance options to complement a DPC practice membership, Allied has extensive experience with DPC. In the interview, they talk about the dramatic cost-savings that can be accrued when employers take out insurance policies that pair with DPC membership as well as the benefits of creating network-free insurance plans. They also talk about why such a move has not been well accepted in the industry.
In Episode 14, Dr Roussel interviews Michael Vacca of CMF Curo/Samaritan Ministries. In the interview, Mr Vacca, Director of Ministry at CMF Curo, discusses how the sharing process works at Samaritan, how Samaritan differs from other health sharing ministries, how health sharing differs from health insurance, and how the ministry pairs with DPC.
In Episode 13, Dr Roussel interviews Mr Dale Bellis about the Liberty Healthshare program. In the interview Mr Bellis, Executive Director of Liberty Healthshare, explains how the health sharing process works with Liberty, how much it costs, how it is similar/different form insurance and how it pairs with DPC.
In Episode 12, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Doug Farrago about DPC allowing doctors to be true to themselves and true to the profession. A seasoned blogger, book author and speaker, Dr Farrago sees DPC as the only way that DPC doctors can be authentic amidst the harsh realities of present third-party care. Listen to Dr Doug describe his passion for DPC, which he sees as the “only hope” for primary care doctors to be true to themselves and true to the profession of medicine.
In Episode 11, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Karl Hansen of Infinity Care about inspiring medical students and residents to embark on DPC. Dr Hansen, who has a DPC practice in Kenner, LA has spoken with medical students and residents at various programs about venturing out into the DPC world as a solo doctor. In the interview they discuss common barriers keeping medical students and residents from entering primary care and how DPC has the potential to change this by fostering a new generation of primary care doctors.
In Episode 10, Dr Roussel interviews Drs Ryan Neuhofel and Luke Van Kirk of the Direct Primary Care (DPC) Alliance. A grassroots organization founded in 2018, the DPC Alliance is devoted to supporting DPC doctors (present and future) through membership, education and advocacy. The Alliance aims to add “fuel to the DPC fire” by offering DPC docs a place for mentorship, information and support. In the interview Drs Ryan and Luke discuss the DPC Alliance’s effort to keep the DPC evergreen with its grassroots spirit as government, insurance companies, hospitals and corporate interests continue to grapple with DPC’s rapid expansion.
In Episode 9 of The Direct Primary Care Podcast, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Lisa Davidson Tartar of Insight Primary Care in Denver, CO. Dr Davidson Tartar started Insight after being a primary care doctor under traditional insurance-based care for a decade. She decided to start the practice in 2011 after deciding that spending all of her off-time charting instead of with her children was enough. Now, three years later, she has a DPC practice set up for her to work 3 days a week and have the scheduling flexibility to spend time with her family. In the episode she speaks about the flexibility that DPC provides as well as the struggles and joys of starting her DPC. While a challenge to set up, going on her own to form Insight was a decision she doesn't regret and she encourages doctors who are thinking about doing a DPC--at any stage in the game--that "it's definitely do-able."
In Episode 6, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Josh Umbehr, founder of AtlasMD, about his direct primary care practice. In the interview they discuss how he got the idea to start a direct primary care practice, how he grew the practice from a solo-doc practice to multi-physician practice with thousands of patients and how he started a DPC-focused EHR. Moreover, they discuss how their clinic has served as a model for many other DPC practices and how interested docs can find the resources to start a DPC practice.
In Episode 4, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Phil Eskew, family physician, lawyer, DPC Frontier website founder and DPC legal expert. In the episode, they discuss legal issues arising in direct primary care. From opting out of Medicare to maintaining HIPAA compliance to avoiding scrutiny by state insurance regulators, DPC practices face a unique set of legal challenges. This uncharted legal territory can be daunting for a DPC doctor, yet, according to Dr Eskew, one need not be intimidated. As discussed in the episodes, there are legal solutions for DPC practices, and with the support of physicians like Dr Eskew, resources are available along the way for the DPC physician who finds him or herself looking for help.
In Episode 3, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Ryan Neuhofel of NeuCare. Founded in 2011, NeuCare is a DPC clinic in Lawrence, Kansas. In the interview, Dr Neu discusses his experience of starting the clinic from the ground up straight out of residency, building up a substantial portion of his patient panel, interestingly, by enrolling underserved patients. Contrary to common belief, he notes, he has been able to care for ‘higher needs’ patients with his DPC practice and still maintain a successful business, coining the term for his clinic “a concierge safety net clinic.” Listen to Dr Neu as he describes how he can deliver high-quality care at affordable prices through the DPC model.
In Episode 2, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Jeffrey Gold of Gold Direct Care in Marblehead, MA. Dr Gold is a primary care doctor of nearly ten years experience who, after practicing primary care as an employee of a major hospital system, embarked on his own to start a DPC practice in 2015. In the interview, he reflects on the joys and struggles of the transition. On the one hand, he notes, it the move has allowed him the freedom to care for patients and provide for their needs in the way he sees fit. On the other, he notes challenges involved in growing the practice and convincing people to join amidst an environment of near-universal health insurance. Ultimately, the transition has been for him a move he’s glad he did and does “not regret this decision one iota.”
This is the first episode of the Direct Primary Care (DPC) Podcast. In it, primary care doctor Landon Roussel discusses the direct primary care model of healthcare delivery, a model in which patients pay a fixed, low-cost fee for comprehensive primary care. In the show, he discusses the model and how it works. He moreover proposes it as the solution to the crisis in primary care access that currently marks the state of the US healthcare system. In future episodes, he will interview successful DPC doctors, such as Dr Jeff Gold of Gold Direct Care, Dr Ryan Neuhofel of NeuCare, Dr Josh Umbehr of AtlasMD, Dr Phil Eskew of DPC Frontier, and Mr Jay Keese of the DPC coalition.