My Path to Becoming an Employed DPC Physician

Did you just ask yourself, “Is there such a thing as being employed in DPC?” I did, too, when my best friend from residency mentioned being hired by a DPC practice more than two years ago. The majority of people I knew going into DPC were starting their own practices. This is one reason I hadn’t initially entertained the idea of DPC as an option for myself. I did not feel financially equipped or adequately skilled in business operations to start a solo practice.

The concept of being an employed DPC physician came as an exciting new option, although I needed to do my homework first. What I soon learned after speaking with different DPC doctors is that all DPC practices are different. Depending on the needs of the patient population these practices are serving, as well as the special interests of the physicians who run them, they vary quite a bit. The membership pricing, patient panel size per physician and compensation models are also variable.

I was lucky that my friend referred me to First Primary Care in Houston. I already had a good feel for what that practice was like from my conversations with her. To learn more about the model, to connect with like-minded individuals at various stages of their DPC journeys and to be part of a community, I recommend the following resources, events and communities:

• AAFP DPC Member Interest Group

• DPC Summit

• DPC Alliance

• MyDPC Story

• DPC Frontier Mapper

• DPC News

I started conversations with First Primary Care early and made a point to have multiple interactions with as many people in the company as possible. I was able to have several phone and in-person conversations with my future colleagues. I asked if I could visit and observe, and was openly invited to do so. I enjoyed the collegial way the physicians interacted and assisted each other with difficult patient cases. It was refreshing to see the transparency that the physician leaders had about the business of running the practice and to hear why former employees had moved on from the company. Additionally, their genuine interest in my personal and professional growth goals was encouraging and meaningful. 

I wish I had known that this was an option when I was a medical student or resident and had explored resources, attended the DPC summit, or rotated at a DPC clinic to get exposure to day-to-day practice in this setting. Perhaps I would have gone straight into this type of practice after residency or ensured that I had honed the desired procedural skills in training. 

I also wish I had fully grasped DPC as a concept. It’s much more than a cash-only practice model that allows a physician to see a smaller panel of patients and spend more time with them. It’s a revolution to transform health care — to prioritize primary care as the foundation of the physician-patient relationship and to re-establish the value of preventive care through cost transparency and incentivizing physicians to keep patients healthy. 

It also is a means to heal the healers who strive for more work-life balance in a fee-for-service world that demands its physicians see more patients during the day and take on additional administrative burdens that overflow into after-hours.

Four months after starting my new position, I’m still glad I went with my gut feeling and I’m happy with the decision. After making the transition, it has felt like a breath of fresh air. I have been able to make deeper connections with my patients, thus reinvigorating my passion for family medicine. I have productive conversations with my colleagues and leadership about the challenges and opportunities in our practice and am able to be part of making positive changes. 

I have been supported in my desire to attend the DPC Summit to broaden my knowledge of DPC, and have been encouraged to pursue a number of leadership opportunities within and outside the company. I am optimistic about my DPC journey and my new practice, and I invite anyone who continues to be curious about an employed DPC position to contact me for more insight into taking the leap.