A pair of recent surveys show a surge in the number of family physicians practicing direct primary care (DPC) — and high levels of career satisfaction for those using the payment model.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) polled a random sample of 20,000 active members for its 2023 Practice Profile survey. Of the 558 who completed the survey, 9% said they were operating a DPC practice, which was a significant jump from 2021 (5%) and 2022 (3%). An additional 2% of those who responded to the 2023 survey said they were in the process of transitioning to a DPC practice.
A separate AAFP survey targeted members who had shown interest in DPC. Of the 374 who responded, 177 were already practicing in a DPC model. Almost all of the respondents (94%) who were already in a DPC model reported satisfaction with their practice, while about half (57%) of those who weren’t in a DPC model reported satisfaction. Burnout was also far less frequently reported by those practicing DPC (12%) than those not practicing DPC (46%).
Among those who responded, the most common concerns about opening a DPC practice were capital/cash flow (54%) and patient/member recruitment (50%).
For more on how to start a DPC practice, see the FPM article “Transitioning to Direct Primary Care.”
AAFP resources:
Posted on April 26, 2024 by FPM Editors
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