DPC Fee Caps Are Now Inflation-Indexed. The First Adjustment Was $0.
Revenue Procedure 2026-24 confirmed 2027 DPC fee caps stay at $150 per individual and $300 per family. Here's what that means for your practice.
DPC Insider
Direct Primary Care news, analysis, and insights for physicians.
Mark Cuban Priced Out a Family Healthcare Plan. DPC Got $200 a Month.
The Cost Plus Drugs founder's proposed family-of-five model includes a $200/month direct primary care line. A recording of his conversation with a DPC physician comes to the DPC Summit in July.
Mark Cuban Is Building the Employer Healthcare Play That DPC Started Ten Years Ago
Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Wellness connects self-funded employers directly with healthcare providers via published contracts. He also just sat down with a DPC physician to talk about employer health benefits ahead of the DPC Summit in July.
Josh Umbehr Opened Atlas MD on $10,000. Now He's Watching Patients Drop Insurance Mid-Year.
In a Medical Economics interview published May 28, Atlas MD co-founder Josh Umbehr describes a new 2026 patient type: people quitting their insurance mid-cycle because the premium became unaffordable, and landing at DPC as the most financially workable option left.
Sermo Surveyed Physicians on DPC. The Satisfaction Gap Was 37 Points.
Sermo's May 2026 data shows 94% of DPC physicians are satisfied with their practice versus 57% of non-DPC physicians — and traces the gap to specific structural differences in how each model is built.
A Veterans DPC Bill Has Waited in Committee for 15 Months. The VA's Access Data Shows Why It Matters.
Congress proposed giving VA-enrolled veterans a direct primary care option outside the system in February 2025. The bill sits in committee as wait times worsen in key specialties and VA staffing shrinks.
PE Primary Care Added Physicians, Saw More Patients, and Billed More. The Study Couldn't Measure Burnout.
A May 2026 Health Affairs study from Brown University found private equity-acquired primary care practices expanded their workforce and patient volumes. What the researchers explicitly couldn't assess is exactly what DPC is designed around.
She Opened Her Fifth DPC Practice in Wisconsin. The Community Showed Up.
AdvocateMD opened its fifth location in Sun Prairie on May 21. The ribbon cutting drew more people than the practice's founder expected — and it says something about demand for DPC in communities where insurance-based care is the only option.
A Nurse Practitioner in Virginia Is Making House Calls for Kids. The Monthly Rate Is $50.
Sunshine Pediatrics launches July 1 in Woodbridge, Virginia: a mobile DPC practice where a nurse practitioner visits sick children at home for $50 per month per child.
JAMA Just Described the DPC Funding Model. They Didn't Call It That.
Four physician-researchers published in JAMA a proposal to pay primary care practices directly, outside insurance. That's the DPC model. Nobody in the article said so.
One School District. 23,000 Insurance Claims. A 92% Drop in Inpatient Admissions.
A 2020 employer study compared a DPC health plan to a traditional PPO side-by-side. The hospital utilization numbers were striking. So are the limitations.
Curative Is Pitching Texas DPC Practices. One Doctor Read the Contract.
An insurance company is cold-calling DPC practices with network deals that ban membership fees and pay 75-90% of Medicare rates. A Texas physician broke down the terms.
DPC's First National Patient Experience Benchmark: What the Data Shows
Hint Health surveyed 1,534 DPC patients across 12 practices and found an 89% PCPCM score and a Net Promoter Score of 85 — plus one result that tells the real story about how the model creates value over time.
A Nurse Practitioner Left the System During the Pandemic. Now She Runs Leesburg's First Direct Primary Care Practice.
Amanda Gaskin turned pandemic-era frustration into Lake County's first direct primary care practice, reaching half her first-year patient goal in just 30 days.
DPC Is Going Mainstream. The Doctors Who Built It Are Starting to Feel Left Out.
As Direct Primary Care attracts corporate investment and employer adoption, a DPC physician is raising an uncomfortable question: are small, solo, and diverse practices being written out of the movement they built?
DPC Started as a Rebellion. Now Some of Its Founders Are Asking What It's Becoming.
As employer money floods into DPC and platforms build infrastructure for scale, a 2014 DPC pioneer argues the movement is losing track of the physicians who built it.
Delaware's Primary Care Reform Bill Is Stalled. A State Senator Just Called Out the Hospitals.
Six weeks after clearing committee, Delaware SB1 still hasn't reached a Senate floor vote — blocked by hospital lobbying over a provision that would cap reimbursement at 250% of Medicare rates.
A Nurse Practitioner Is Opening a DPC Practice in Rhode Island. The Model Is Spreading Beyond Physicians.
In 28 states with full NP practice authority, nurse practitioners are adopting the DPC membership model — flat monthly fees, limited panels, no insurance billing. A Rhode Island practice is pre-enrolling members right now.
Can You Actually Pay the Bills as a DPC Doctor? Here's What the Numbers Show in 2026.
Income predictability and patient recruitment are the two questions physicians ask before switching to DPC. The 2026 data makes both easier to answer.
The Bill to Let Medicaid Patients Join a DPC Practice Has Bipartisan Support in Both Chambers
H.R. 1162 and S.3298 would authorize state Medicaid programs to pay for direct primary care arrangements. The House already passed a version in 2024. The Senate is the remaining step.
The OBBBA Let Millions Pay for DPC with Their HSA. Rural Medicare Patients Weren't Included.
A prominent health policy economist argues in The Hill that the One Big Beautiful Bill's DPC-HSA provision stopped short — the Americans who need DPC most live in rural communities and they're on Medicare and Medicaid.
UnitedHealthcare Is Cutting Prior Authorizations by 30%. DPC Practices Have Almost None.
The nation's largest insurer is eliminating prior auth for select services by year's end. DPC doctors stepped off the prior auth treadmill years ago. Here's what the gap says about where primary care is heading.
The Heart Risk Calculator Most Physicians Still Use Has Been Wrong for Years. Here's What Replaced It.
The AHA's new PREVENT calculator reclassifies cardiovascular risk for more than half of U.S. adults. The old model overestimated risk so badly that 17 million people might have been prescribed statins they didn't need.
600 Patients Served Well, or 2,500 Served Badly: The DPC Shortage Debate
Medical Economics is asking whether DPC worsens physician shortages. The data shows a more complicated picture than either side wants to admit.
A Luxury Magazine Profiled $50,000 'Members-Only' Doctor's Offices. The $100/Month Model Wasn't in the Story.
Mansion Global covered concierge medicine as a luxury lifestyle trend with fees up to $50,000 a year. Most DPC practices charge under $100 a month. The framing gap matters.
Michigan Businesses Are Betting on DPC. The HSA Rule Change Made It Easy.
Five months after the One Big Beautiful Bill made DPC memberships HSA-compatible, Michigan companies are expanding direct primary care offerings and new matching services are launching to meet demand.
Medical Economics Is Dedicating an Issue to DPC. That's a Bigger Signal Than the Issue Itself.
Medical Economics, the 100-year-old physician business publication, is devoting its May 12 digital issue entirely to direct primary care. The mainstream framing matters — DPC is being covered as a real career option, not a fringe experiment.
Blue Cross Says DPC Lacks 'Quality and Safety Measures.' Patients Are Signing Up Anyway.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association publicly criticized Direct Primary Care models on local news, even as 2026 premium increases are driving a surge in consumer interest.
DPC Doctors Have More Leverage Than They Think. One Physician Is Telling Them to Use It.
A DPC physician argues that practices have real bargaining power with aggregators and employers, and shouldn't act like the smaller party in their own market. The argument matters as more contracts hit physicians' inboxes.
Nearly 40% of Gen Z Don't Have a Doctor. Urgent Care Is Filling the Void.
A generational staircase is forming: 10% of boomers, 20% of Gen X, 30% of millennials, and nearly 40% of Gen Z lack a primary care doctor. Urgent care chains are rushing to fill the gap. DPC practices should be paying attention.
DPC Isn't Concierge Medicine. A Law Firm Just Spelled Out Why.
Nossaman LLP's new legal primer on membership medicine highlights the critical regulatory differences between DPC and hybrid concierge models that physicians need to understand.
Elation Health's CEO Just Made Becker's 'Great Leaders' List. Here's What That Signals for DPC.
Kyna Fong's back-to-back recognition by Becker's Hospital Review and EY reflects Elation Health's growth to 50,000 clinicians and 24 million patients, and signals that DPC infrastructure is earning mainstream credibility.
AI Can Now Read Your Eardrums. The FDA Just Made It Official.
TytoCare's AI-powered eardrum analysis earned FDA De Novo classification, creating an entirely new device category. For DPC practices leaning on telehealth, remote diagnostic tools like this expand what's possible without an office visit.
MedLion's Co-Founders Are Back. This Time They're Building AI.
Dr. Samir Qamar, who co-founded one of America's first DPC companies, just launched a free AI health companion that connects to his virtual direct primary care practice.
Medicare Built a Monthly Payment Model for Primary Care. It Looks a Lot Like DPC.
Medicare's Advanced Primary Care Management codes pay doctors a monthly per-patient fee for 24/7 access and care coordination, mirroring the DPC model at lower rates with more rules.
Women Are the Majority of Med Students. The System Is Still Built to Push Them Out.
Women make up 55% of medical school enrollment but face 27% higher burnout and leave medicine years earlier than men. A DPC physician argues the model directly addresses the factors driving them out.
For the First Time, Employers Fund the Majority of DPC Memberships
Hint Health's 2026 Trends Report reveals employers now pay for 60% of active DPC memberships, with 837% membership growth since 2017 and stable pricing that traditional insurance can't match.
A Maine Family Faced $2,000 Monthly Premiums. They Chose DPC and Health Sharing Instead.
Rising health insurance costs in Maine are pushing families toward direct primary care and health sharing plans, highlighting growing consumer demand for alternatives to traditional coverage.
CMS Just Cracked Open the Door for Physician-Owned Hospitals. Here's Why DPC Doctors Should Care.
A new CMS proposal could waive the 15-year-old ban on physician-owned hospitals for a bundled payment model, signaling a broader shift toward physician autonomy that mirrors DPC's own fight.
Membership Medicine Grew 80% in Five Years. The Equity Question Won't Go Away.
A Harvard-led study finds concierge and DPC clinicians grew nearly 80% from 2018-2023, while critics warn the trend worsens primary care shortages for everyone else.
The First Sold-Out Pediatric DPC Conference Just Wrapped. Here's Why That Matters.
The DPC Alliance's Pediatric DPC Conference 2026 in Savannah sold out with the AAP's past president delivering the keynote, signaling that direct primary care is no longer just an adult medicine story.
Six Million Americans Could Lose Health Insurance This Year. DPC Practices Are Ready.
As ACA enrollment drops and millions skip premium payments, direct primary care offers an affordable alternative for Americans losing health coverage in 2026.
1.4 Million DPC Members and Growing. But What Happens When They Need a Specialist?
As direct primary care crosses 1.4 million members and approaches 1% of the U.S. population, the specialist referral gap is becoming the model's most urgent infrastructure problem.
80% of Primary Care Doctors Are Worried About Money. One in Four Already Offers Membership Care.
A new Elation Health survey of 280 primary care physicians finds widespread financial anxiety, and independent doctors are already adopting DPC and membership models in response.
Rhode Island's 'Primary Care Preservation Act' Is Really About Concierge. DPC Isn't in the Room.
Rep. Marie Hopkins' HB7427 would let Rhode Island doctors charge insured patients extra fees alongside traditional care. The framing is primary care access. The mechanism is concierge medicine.
Four Hospital Systems Are Pouring Money Into Concierge Medicine. Here's What DPC Doctors Should Know.
Northwell, University Hospitals, Endeavor Health, and Inova are aggressively expanding concierge medicine programs, validating the membership model but at dramatically higher price points than DPC.
A Former Meta AI Leader Just Raised $9.3M to Replace Your EHR
Ultralight, formerly Vibrant Practice, raised $9.3 million to build an AI-native operating system for DPC and cash-pay practices. Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is among the investors.
This Texas DPC Company Went From a Shared Office to 11 Clinics in Seven Years
Frontier Direct Care started in a borrowed desk in Harlingen in 2018. Now it operates 11 clinics across Texas, serves 100+ employers, and is expanding to Dallas.
Oklahoma Had 3 DPC Doctors in 2016. Now It Has Nearly 150.
Oklahoma's direct primary care physician count grew from 3-4 to nearly 150 in a decade, mirroring national DPC growth that now serves 1.4 million patients. Here's what's driving it.
43% of Marketplace Enrollees Now Have HSA-Eligible Plans. Here's Why DPC Practices Should Care.
Bronze plan enrollment surged 26% in 2026, and HSA-eligible plan selection jumped from 2% to 43% on HealthCare.gov. Combined with the new DPC-HSA compatibility rules, this creates millions of potential patients who can pay for DPC with tax-free dollars.
Hospitals, Insurers, and Platform Companies Are All Fighting for the Front Door of Healthcare
A new MedCity News analysis maps the four forces competing for control of primary care, and what that battle means for independent DPC physicians.
UberDoc Wants to Solve the DPC Referral Problem With Transparent Specialist Pricing
UberDoc launched a specialty referral program at Hint Summit 2026, giving DPC physicians access to 50+ specialties with upfront pricing and same-week availability.
Primary Care Scores a 45 Out of 100. The Data Behind the Dissatisfaction.
PartnerMD's 2026 State of Primary Care Report surveyed 500+ patients and found an average experience score of 45/100, with 62% waiting a week or more and 80% worried about health issues slipping through the cracks.
CMS's Top Medicare Official Is Keynoting a DPC Conference This Week
Hint Summit 2026 kicks off April 8 in Nashville with CMS Deputy Administrator Chris Klomp and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist headlining, signaling federal attention on direct primary care.
Rhode Island's Attorney General Just Called Doctors 'Air Traffic Controllers.' DPC Should Pay Attention.
Rhode Island's AG and House Speaker are sounding alarms about membership medicine draining primary care access. But the pricing they're describing is concierge, not DPC, and that distinction could define the movement's future.
Colorado's Medicaid-DPC Bill Passed the House. Then the Senate Shelved It.
Colorado HB 26-1096 would have let Medicaid recipients pay out of pocket for direct primary care. It passed the House 40-22, but a Senate committee voted 4-3 to postpone it indefinitely.
DPC Grew 80% in Five Years. But Who's Driving That Growth?
A Health Affairs study shows DPC and concierge practices nearly doubled from 2018 to 2023, but corporate-affiliated sites grew 576% while independent ownership dropped from 84% to 60%.
Vermont's DPC Movement Is Growing, and Mainstream Media Is Finally Noticing
Seven Days profiles the growth of direct primary care in Vermont, featuring Blue Spruce Health's expansion to three locations and over 1,000 patients.
Mending Access Wants to Be the Rails Between DPC Practices and Employer Health Plans
Mending, formerly Taro Health, launches Mending Access to connect DPC practices with TPAs and self-funded employers, already covering 100,000 lives across 12 states.
A Dozen States Are Cracking Down on Private Equity in Healthcare. Here's Why DPC Doctors Should Pay Attention.
California, Oregon, and at least ten other states are passing laws to restrict private equity control over clinical decisions. The regulatory backlash reinforces what DPC was built to protect: physician autonomy.
Four Patients an Hour, Double-Booked: The Math That's Pushing Doctors Out of Primary Care
A physician's account of seeing 4-6 patients per hour with double bookings shows why the traditional primary care model is breaking, and why a growing number of doctors are choosing a different path.
A Nashville Startup Just Raised $7.5M to Build the Back Office That Cash-Pay Clinics Don't Have
VITL closed a $7.5M Series A led by SignalFire to build e-prescribing infrastructure for cash-pay clinics, including DPC practices. Here's what it signals about the market.
DPC Is Growing Fast. Is the Financing System Ready for What Comes Next?
A new MedCity News analysis warns that DPC's rapid growth could trigger adverse selection in traditional insurance pools. Here's what the data actually shows and what it means for your practice.
Minnesota Takes Its First Step Toward a DPC Legal Framework
Minnesota HF 1724 would establish direct primary care service agreements in state law for the first time, clarifying that DPC is not insurance.
The AAFP Just Published a Guide to Starting a DPC Practice Right Out of Residency
Family Practice Management's March 2026 issue features a step-by-step guide for new graduates launching DPC practices, written by two physicians who did exactly that.
899 Family Medicine Residency Slots Went Unfilled on Match Day. That's a Problem DPC Can Help Solve.
Match Day 2026 set records for primary care positions, but family medicine's declining fill rate signals a pipeline crisis that DPC's autonomy-first model is uniquely positioned to address.
Amazon Just Made AI the Front Door to Primary Care. Here's What DPC Doctors Should Know.
Amazon expanded its Health AI agent to 200 million Prime members, offering $29 virtual visits and AI-powered triage. What this means for direct primary care physicians.
Premise Health and Crossover Health Merged Into a $2B Employer Primary Care Company
Premise Health and Crossover Health completed their merger on March 12, 2026, creating a 900-center employer primary care network. Here's what it means for independent DPC practices.
A Majority of Delawareans Can't Find a Primary Care Doctor. A New Bill Wants to Fix That.
Delaware's Senate Bill 1 would force insurers to invest more in primary care and cap hospital prices, exposing why the traditional system keeps failing and why DPC keeps growing.
83% Growth in Five Years, and DPC Is Just Getting Started
A major Health Affairs study confirms DPC and concierge practices grew 83% from 2018 to 2023. Here's what that means for physicians considering the switch, and the access challenge the movement hasn't fully reckoned with.
Employer-Sponsored DPC Is Reshaping How Physicians Practice Primary Care
With over 7,200 employers now offering DPC benefits and HSA eligibility barriers falling in 2026, employer-aligned direct primary care is moving from niche experiment to structural shift.
Your Patients Can Now Pay for DPC with Their HSA. Here's What You Need to Know.
The One Big Beautiful Bill made DPC memberships HSA-compatible starting January 2026. IRS Notice 2026-05 spells out the rules. Here's what every DPC physician needs to understand right now.