AIR DATE JUNE 29, 2023

Title: Direct Primary Care

Emily speaks with local practitioners providing alternative, affordable payment options that don’t require health insurance.

Guests

Optimum Direct Care, Board Certified Family Medicine Physician & Co-Founder – Dr. Toni Muzzi

Velez Family Health, Primary Provider – Dr. Tania Velez, MD

Membership-Based Healthcare Options Help Keep Care Costs Low

Navigating the complex world of healthcare insurance when you need treatment can be a frustrating and stressful experience. Some people have their care postponed for weeks or months because they’re waiting for coverage pre-approval and other steps.

I spoke with Dr. Tania Velez of Velez Family Health because this direct primary care practice takes a different approach.

“In the direct primary care mode, it is based on a monthly fee and all the access to myself and to the practice is included in that,” Dr. Velez told me. “That way, patients never have to worry about how much things are going to cost or about paying every single visit.”

Dr. Toni Muzzonigro uses a similar membership-based model for direct primary care. “Our patients pay a monthly reasonable fee to have access to us, and so we don’t bill insurance for what we do.”

Why Choose Direct Primary Care Through This Model?

“I wasn’t happy with the traditional insurance-based model,” said Dr. Velez. “I started it as the regular insurance-based traditional practice, but it quickly got very, very busy and I just didn’t feel like I was spending enough time with the patients.”

Dr. Muzzonigro agrees. “In this model, you have patient, you have their concern, you have a lot of time to go through what the concern is and really try to get to the root cause and then you decide what’s appropriate.”

Direct primary care physicians use the competitive forces of the economy to drive all healthcare service costs down. That includes negotiating cash pricing contracts with imaging centers, labs, and some specialists for a more fulfilling experience.

I asked Dr. Muzzonigro why this change in care structure is important. “Having to think about insurance first and not what’s best for the patient,” was the answer. “Having to answer to administrators who weren’t clinicians about the clinical choices I was making was extremely frustrating.”

What Can Someone Expect to Pay When Using This Model?

“Every practice is different,” said Dr. Velez. “Most direct primary care models are age-based, so depending on the age is kind of what the price is. It’s anywhere between $40 to $100 a month [for my practice] and that includes all their access to me.”

Any procedures that can be done at the point of care, from rapid strep to urine testing, are included in that fee. Patients also get Dr. Velez’s contact information if they have any questions or concerns.

Dr. Muzzonigro added that the value of having unlimited visits with the monthly membership changes how healthcare expenses affect a patient’s budget. Their practice’s pricing ranges from $50 to $120 for most adults, with reduced fees available for dependent children.

Some practices offer family rate discounts when multiple people from the same household sign up for services.

If you’re interested in this direct care model and want to sign up for services, you can reach Dr. Velez at velezfh.com. Dr. Muzzonigro works through Optimum Direct Care, and that website is optimumdirectcare.com.

You can also discover more about the Direct Primary Care model by visiting DPC Frontier at dpcfrontier.com.