Direct Primary Care Frequently Asked Questions
These frequently asked questions help patients across Salt Lake County understand how Direct Primary Care works, how it interacts with insurance, what’s included in membership, and whether it’s the right fit for them.
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Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a revolutionary healthcare model that puts you back in charge of your health. Unlike the traditional fee-for-service system, DPC operates on a simple, flat monthly membership fee. This fee covers a vast majority of your primary care needs, providing you with unlimited access to your doctor without the hassle of insurance claims, co-pays, or deductibles.
Imagine a healthcare experience built on a direct, personal relationship with your physician. Your doctor works for you, not an insurance company. This allows for longer, more relaxed appointments, more time to address your concerns, and a proactive approach to your well-being.
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DPC Advantage: More Time, Better Care
Relationship-Driven Care: In a DPC practice, you're not just a number. Your doctor has a smaller patient panel, allowing them to truly get to know you and your health history. This personal relationship fosters trust and leads to more personalized, comprehensive care.
Convenience & Accessibility: Say goodbye to long wait times and rushed appointments. DPC offers same-day or next-day appointments, extended visits, and direct access to your doctor via phone, text, or email. Your doctor is just a message away, whether you have a quick question or a pressing concern.
Transparent & Affordable: With a single monthly fee, you know exactly what your primary care will cost. There are no hidden fees, co-pays, or surprise bills. The DPC model often saves patients money in the long run, especially those with high-deductible insurance plans.
Focus on Wellness & Prevention: By removing the financial barriers of insurance, DPC doctors can focus on what's best for your health. This includes proactive wellness coaching, preventative care, and managing chronic conditions to help you live your best life.
No Insurance Hassle: DPC removes the middleman—the insurance company. This means no more dealing with confusing paperwork, denied claims, or waiting for approvals. Your care is determined by you and your doctor, not by an insurance company's policies.
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The Traditional Medicine Experience: The Status Quo
Rushed Appointments: Due to high patient volumes, traditional appointments are often limited to 10-15 minutes, leaving little time for a thorough discussion of your health concerns.
Insurance as a Barrier: Care decisions are often influenced by insurance coverage, leading to delays and limitations on services. Co-pays, deductibles, and complex billing can make healthcare confusing and expensive.
Lack of Accessibility: Getting a timely appointment can be a challenge, often requiring a wait of several weeks. Direct communication with your doctor is often difficult or impossible.
Focus on Volume: The traditional model often incentivizes a high volume of patients and services, rather than a focus on personalized, preventative care.
Unexpected Costs: Even with insurance, you can face a maze of co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses that can be difficult to predict.
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Dr. Law partners with care providers who can cover his patients when he is unavailable. We won’t leave you hanging or sacrifice the value we place on patient centered care.
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They’re similar in spirit—both focus on giving you more time and attention—but they’re not the same.
Direct Primary Care (DPC) keeps things simple: you pay a flat monthly membership, and we don’t bill your insurance for primary care. That means no copays, no surprise bills, and clear, upfront pricing for anything extra (like labs or procedures).
Concierge Medicine, on the other hand, usually charges a much higher annual fee (typically over $2,500) and still bills your insurance for each visit. That means you may still see copays, deductibles, or additional charges on top of the membership.
In short:
DPC offers concierge-level access and service—without the concierge-level price tag. It’s an affordable, accessible option whether you have great insurance or no insurance at all. -
No, we focus on patient ages 16 and older. Our specialty is adult internal medicine, not pediatric medicine.
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Item descriOur goal is to give you such consistent, personalized care that you need the hospital or specialists less often. But when something comes up that’s outside our scope, we’ll help coordinate the next steps and connect you with trusted specialists we know and recommend.
For hospital care, surgeries, or other services beyond primary care, we recommend having a high-deductible insurance plan or a reputable health share to help cover those larger medical needs.
Think of us as your first stop—and your guide—whenever you need care.ption
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At Progressive Primary Care, we understand if you aren’t ready to commit to a membership or if you simply need to access health care. That’s why we offer one time drop-in visits (at least until our we’ve reached a maximum number of patients). We prefer memberships because it allows us to give a higher quality continuity of care. If you have a drop-in appointment and decide to become a member, your appointment fee will go towards your membership cost.
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Just give us a call! One of the perks of Direct Primary Care is that you stay connected to your provider no matter where you are. Because we know you and your health history, we can often triage concerns quickly and even treat many illnesses remotely.
Whether you’re on the road, out of state, or relaxing on a beach somewhere, we can usually help through a phone call, message, or telehealth visit. If you need in-person care where you are, we’ll guide you on the best next steps.
Travel with peace of mind—we’ve got you.
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Perfect—let’s keep it that way. 🙌
With a DPC membership, you get preventive visits, early screening for silent issues (like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol), and fast access when something unexpected comes up.With Progressive Primary Care you get real care and real savings—especially when paired with catastrophic insurance. Why pay for full-coverage plans you rarely use? And when you wake up with a weird pain, a sudden fever, or an injury—your doctor is just a text away.
Direct Primary Care Insurance Related FAQs
Do we require insurance? No. That’s part of what makes our care special. But we still recommend you carry it. Insurance is complicated and we bet you still have questions. Ask away. If our FAQs don’t cover it, give us a call.
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We don’t require you to have it. But, yes, we still recommend that you carry it—you’ll still want some form of major medical or catastrophic coverage.
At Progressive Primary Care, we can handle the vast majority of your everyday and ongoing health needs, but insurance (or a reputable health share plan) is there to help you with prescription costs and protect you from the big, unexpected things: emergencies, surgeries, hospital stays, and anything outside the primary care scope.
Think of it this way: your DPC membership covers your day-to-day care, and insurance covers the “what ifs.”
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No—and that’s actually one of the biggest benefits of Direct Primary Care.
By choosing not to bill insurance, we’re able to spend our time where it matters most: with you. Skipping the insurance rules, coding requirements, and paperwork means longer visits, easier access, and care that’s focused entirely on your needs—not on what an insurance company will approve.
Our model is built on a direct, personal relationship between you and your provider. You pay us directly, and we take care of you directly. No middlemen, no surprise bills, no one else deciding what your care should look like.
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Many people carry expensive insurance plans that cover every little thing—even routine care that we provide for a simple monthly membership. Since your day-to-day healthcare is handled here, you can often switch to a lower-cost, high-deductible plan or a reputable health share to protect you from major medical events only.
Because we offer labs and minor procedures at or near wholesale prices, many patients find that restructuring their insurance saves them a significant amount each year—without sacrificing quality care.
In short: DPC covers your everyday needs, and smarter insurance covers the big stuff. The combination can save you a lot.
Check out this article about insurance alternatives that we found helpful.
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Yes! Many of our members keep their insurance or Medicare and still choose DPC because it gives them easier access, longer visits, and a more personal relationship with their provider.
You’ll continue using your insurance or Medicare just like you do now—for things like labs, imaging (mammograms, X-rays, CT scans), specialist visits, hospital care, or emergency services.
Your primary care, however, is fully covered by your DPC membership. We don’t bill your insurance for office visits, so your care stays simple, predictable, and hassle-free.
A quick note for Medicare patients:
You’ll sign a one-time waiver stating that neither you nor your doctor will bill Medicare for our services. Medicare will still cover labs, imaging, medications, hospitalizations, and anything else outside of DPC.
Unfortunately, Medicare Advantage plans aren’t compatible with the DPC model.If you have questions about how your situation fits, we’re always happy to walk you through it.
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Direct Primary Care pairs really well with plans that are designed to cover the big stuff—not your day-to-day primary care (because that’s what your membership is for).
Great options include:
High-deductible health plans (HDHPs)
Major medical or catastrophic coverage
Health sharing plans
Catastrophic-only plans (for people who qualify)
These options help protect you financially if something serious or unexpected happens, while your DPC membership covers your routine and ongoing care.
Many patients find that switching to one of these plans dramatically reduces their insurance premiums—especially since we offer labs, imaging, and many medications at transparent, near-wholesale prices.
If you need help figuring out which type of plan fits your needs, we’re happy to point you toward trusted insurance and health-share resources.
