Medical practice marketing

Medical practice marketing for Direct Primary Care and modern clinics.

Massive Impact markets medical and primary care practices, and Direct Primary Care is where we go deepest. Below is the plain-language DPC guide we keep current for patients, our proof that we know this model cold, from what it costs to how HSA dollars now cover it. Run a practice? The links at the foot go straight to how we fill a panel and the full DPC playbook library.

The short answer

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a way of paying for a family doctor where you pay the practice a flat monthly membership fee, and in return you get unhurried, direct access to your doctor without insurance in the middle.

Instead of billing your insurance for each visit, a DPC practice charges a simple monthly fee, usually somewhere between the cost of a phone plan and a gym membership, that covers your primary care: check-ups, sick visits, longer appointments, and often direct contact with your doctor by text, phone, or video. Insurance is still worth keeping for the big things like hospital stays, surgery, and specialists, but your day-to-day care runs through the membership. The idea is fewer patients per doctor, more time in each visit, and a real relationship with the person looking after your health.

You pay a flat monthly fee straight to the practice, not per visit.
You get longer appointments and direct access to your doctor.
You keep insurance for hospital care, surgery, and specialists.

What it costs

What does Direct Primary Care cost a month?

Most Direct Primary Care memberships run from about $50 to $100 a month for an adult, with lower rates for children and family plans that cover everyone under one fee.

$50 to $100Adult membershipper month, typical range
LessChildrenusually a reduced rate
One feeFamily planscovers the household

The exact price depends on the practice and often on age, so a young child costs less than an adult, and some practices offer a whole-family rate. What that one fee usually includes is the part worth understanding: your routine and sick visits, longer appointments, and frequently direct messaging or calls with your doctor, sometimes basic in-office tests and discounted medications too. It replaces the copays and the per-visit billing of ordinary primary care. It does not replace insurance, which you keep for hospital care, surgery, and specialists.

A typical range, not a quote. Fees vary by practice and by age. Ask any practice you are considering for its exact pricing.

Source: American Academy of Family Physicians, Direct Primary Care model page (https://www.aafp.org/practice-operations/practice-and-payment-models/direct-primary-care). It states: "Monthly membership fees for DPC patients generally range from $50 to $100," citing the AAFP 2024 direct primary care data brief.

The 2026 change

How HSA dollars now work with Direct Primary Care.

As of January 1, 2026, you can use pre-tax HSA money toward a Direct Primary Care membership, up to $150 a month for an individual and $300 a month for a family.

This is new and it matters, because it makes the membership cheaper in real terms. A Health Savings Account (HSA) lets you set aside money before tax to spend on healthcare. Until this change, DPC fees were a grey area for HSA spending. From January 1, 2026, the monthly fee counts as a qualified expense you can pay with those pre-tax dollars, within the monthly caps above. If you already have an HSA, that can bring the real cost of a membership down noticeably. The exact handling can vary by HSA administrator, so it is worth confirming with yours.

The caps are per month, not per year, and cover the membership fee itself, not every service a practice offers. Details can vary by HSA administrator.

Source: DPC Frontier, tax treatment page (https://www.dpcfrontier.com/tax-treatment). Quoting the federal statute in force from January 1, 2026: aggregate DPC fees for an individual for any month "exceed $150" disqualify the arrangement, "twice such dollar amount" ($300) where it covers more than one person. Cross-checked against strategy/current-event-hooks.md (Hook 1, IRS Notice 2026-5).

Is it right for you?

Who Direct Primary Care suits, and who it may not.

DPC is a good fit for many families and a poor fit for some, and an honest guide says both. Here is a straight read on each side, so you can tell quickly which one sounds like you.

It tends to suit you if

You want more time with your doctor and quick, direct access when something comes up.
You or your family see a doctor often enough that per-visit copays add up.
You manage an ongoing condition and value continuity with one doctor who knows you.
You have an HSA and can now put pre-tax dollars toward the fee.
You already carry insurance for the big stuff and want better everyday care.

It may not suit you if

You rarely see a doctor and a monthly fee would mostly go unused.
You are on a tight budget and cannot add a membership on top of insurance premiums.
You expect the membership to cover hospital care or specialists, which it does not.
You would rather not keep separate insurance alongside the membership.

This is general information to help you decide what to ask, not medical or financial advice. Talk to a practice, and your own insurer, about your situation.

How it compares

Direct Primary Care vs concierge vs a regular practice.

People often mix up Direct Primary Care and concierge medicine, and both differ from an ordinary insurance-based practice. Here is how the three line up on the things that matter to a patient.

	Direct Primary Care	Concierge medicine	Regular practice
How you pay	A flat monthly fee to the practice, no per-visit billing.	A larger annual or monthly retainer, often several thousand a year.	Insurance billed per visit, plus copays and deductibles.
Does it bill insurance?	No, the membership replaces insurance for primary care.	Often yes, the retainer is on top of insurance billing.	Yes, insurance is billed for every visit.
Time with your doctor	Longer visits, fewer patients per doctor.	Longer visits, usually a small patient panel.	Often short, 10 to 15 minute visits.
Access between visits	Direct contact by text, phone, or video, usually included.	Direct access, often 24/7, included in the retainer.	Through the office line and a portal, varies widely.
Typical cost	About $50 to $100 a month for an adult.	Commonly $1,500 to $5,000 a year or more.	Premiums, copays, and deductibles set by your plan.

General ranges to show how the models differ. Actual pricing varies by practice and region.

Concierge cost source: PartnerMD (https://www.partnermd.com/blog/concierge-medicine-costs-factors-considerations), "the average cost of concierge medicine is usually between $2,000 to $5,000 per year." The roughly $1,500 lower end is the average annual retainer reported in the American Journal of Medicine (https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(17)30358-3/pdf), "$1,500 per year to $1,700 per year." DPC $50 to $100 figure in this table: same AAFP source as the cost section above.

What some practices add

What a modern DPC practice often adds.

Many Direct Primary Care practices have grown beyond family medicine and now offer extra services you pay for directly, the kind of thing patients increasingly ask about: weight-loss medication like GLP-1, hormone therapy, vitamin IV drips, peptides, and longevity check-ups. These sit alongside the membership as add-ons, not part of the monthly fee, and they are worth knowing about because they are more common than most people expect.

52.7%

of Direct Primary Care practices already publicly offer or market at least one cash-pay service.

So if you find a DPC practice that also offers these services, it is not unusual, it is where a majority of the field has quietly gone.

Source: Massive Impact's independent research of the US DPC market (n = 2,468 unique practices, 3,734 records, 108 fields, as of May 2026). 1,968 of 3,734 practice records carry a cash-pay specialty signal (52.7%). A public-signal measure, not verified revenue. The underlying research is available as a licensed dataset on request, contact us for pricing.

Straight answers

Common questions about Direct Primary Care.

Is Direct Primary Care worth it?

It tends to be worth it if you see a doctor often or value quick, direct access, and less so if you rarely need care.

Whether Direct Primary Care is worth it depends on how much care you use and how much you value access. If you or your family see a doctor regularly, manage an ongoing condition, or want longer visits and the ability to reach your doctor directly, the flat monthly fee often costs less over a year than repeated copays and pays off in time and peace of mind. If you rarely see a doctor, a monthly membership may go mostly unused. Because you keep insurance for hospital care and specialists, DPC works best as an upgrade to everyday care rather than a replacement for coverage.

Does Direct Primary Care replace health insurance?

No. It replaces how you pay for everyday primary care, but you keep insurance for hospital stays, surgery, and specialists.

No, Direct Primary Care does not replace health insurance. The membership covers your primary care, the routine and sick visits, longer appointments, and direct access to your doctor, but it does not cover hospital stays, surgery, emergency care, or specialist treatment. For those you still need insurance. Many people pair a DPC membership with a lower-cost or high-deductible insurance plan, using the membership for day-to-day care and the insurance as a safety net for the expensive, unexpected events.

What is the difference between Direct Primary Care and concierge medicine?

Both charge a membership, but DPC usually costs less and does not bill insurance, while concierge is pricier and often sits on top of insurance.

The main difference between Direct Primary Care and concierge medicine is cost and how they work with insurance. DPC charges a modest monthly fee, commonly $50 to $100 for an adult, and does not bill insurance for primary care at all. Concierge medicine charges a larger retainer, often several thousand dollars a year, and frequently still bills your insurance on top of the retainer. Both give you more time with your doctor and direct access, but DPC is generally the lower-cost, simpler option, while concierge tends to sit at the premium end.

Can I use my HSA for Direct Primary Care?

Yes. As of January 1, 2026, you can put pre-tax HSA dollars toward a DPC membership, up to $150 a month for an individual and $300 for a family.

Yes. Starting January 1, 2026, Direct Primary Care membership fees count as a qualified expense you can pay with pre-tax Health Savings Account (HSA) dollars, up to $150 a month for an individual and $300 a month for a family. That change makes the real cost of a membership lower for anyone who already has an HSA. The caps are monthly and cover the fee itself rather than every service, and the exact handling can vary by HSA administrator, so confirm the details with yours.

How do I find a Direct Primary Care doctor near me?

Search online directories of DPC practices, or ask an AI assistant, then check each practice's pricing and services directly.

To find a Direct Primary Care doctor near you, start with an online directory of DPC practices, which lets you search by location and see each practice's fees and services. You can also ask an AI assistant like ChatGPT or your phone's assistant to name DPC practices in your area. Once you have a shortlist, check each practice's own website for its monthly fee, what the membership includes, whether it offers a family plan, and any extra cash-pay services. Most practices are happy to answer questions before you join, so it is worth a quick call.

About this guide

This guide is written by Massive Impact, a medical practice marketing agency that has independently researched the US Direct Primary Care market and supplied the data behind the country's largest DPC directory. We help DPC and primary care practices fill their panels, and we wrote this for patients trying to understand the model.

Run a Direct Primary Care practice yourself? See how we help practices grow.