Skip to content
Fullscript leaf logo
Create account
Fullscript logo
Fullscript leaf logo
  • Solutions
    • Plan care
      Lab testing Offer end-to-end diagnostics.
      Supplement catalog Recommend healthcare’s best.
      Clinical decision support Optimize your patients’ plans.
      Evidence-based templates Build complete plans quickly.
    • Deliver care
      Online plans Send individual and multi-patient plans.
      Wholesale ordering Dispense supplements from your clinic.
    • Engage patients
      Patient experience See how patients thrive on Fullscript.
      Adherence & insights Keep patients on track with less effort.
      Patient promotions Offer savings, engage patients in a few clicks.
    • IntegrationsSee all integrations
  • Resources
    • Learn
      How to use Fullscript Explore quick demos, articles, and more.
      Wellness blog Education for practitioners and patients.
      Webinars 100+ recordings of practitioner discussions.
      Protocols Our library of evidence-based protocols.
      Clinical evidence Studies that support the Fullscript platform.
      Practice resources Handouts, promotional tools, and more.
      Ingredient library Decision support for supplement ingredients.
    • Featured
      lets make healthcare whole kyle feature image
      Let’s Make Healthcare Whole

      Learn how Fullscript is making whole person care more attainable, scalable, and impactful.

  • Pricing
Sign in Create account Book a demo Sign in
Practice Management
—

How to Start a Direct Primary Care Practice

Updated on January 20, 2025 | Published on September 7, 2023
Fact checked
Karolyn Gazella Avatar
Written by Karolyn Gazella
Dr. Natacha Montpellier, ND, B.Sc.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Natacha Montpellier, ND, B.Sc.
  1. Wellness blog
  2. How to Start a Direct Primary Care Practice

The direct primary care business model does not accept insurance or participate in Medicare or Medicaid; rather, this model charges patients a monthly out-of-pocket fee for primary care services. (11) Typically the monthly fee covers services such as evaluations, annual check-ups, and other basic primary care, but it can also include office-based laboratory or radiology tests. (5) Continue reading to learn how to start a direct primary care practice.

Ready to start delivering better patient care? 

Join 70,000 practitioners who rely on Fullscript to dispense top-quality supplements to their patients.
Try Fullscript for free
catalog of supplements

Presently, there are 1,858 direct primary care practices in the United States, and that number is expected to continue to grow. (7) Why has the direct primary care business model become so popular among physicians? It is appealing to physicians experiencing burnout and those who want to spend more time with patients and less time filling out insurance paperwork. (6) 

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the benefits of the direct primary care business model include:

  • The physician can spend more time with each patient.
  • There is a simplified revenue structure.
  • There is decreased practice overhead.
  • The administrative burden is reduced. (2)
how to start a direct primary care practice
The direct primary care business model appears to be ideal for practitioners focused on lifestyle medicine.

Direct primary care business plan

Some aspects of starting a direct care practice are similar to opening any type of clinic, which requires an office, staff, and electronic health records (EHR) software. Regarding staff, finding an office manager who has experience with the direct care practice model will be beneficial.

Once the office site, EHR, and staff are chosen, the direct care practice needs to determine the services that will be offered and the monthly cost to cover those services. The monthly fee range depends on the age of the patient and can be anywhere from $25 to $85 per month, with the 2015 average just under $78. (8) While this model of care can offer patients considerable cost savings, many patients choose to also have a high deductible health plan to pay for services that are not covered by the direct care practice such as major surgery, cancer, or other catastrophic health events. (10) 

When it comes to finances, it’s important to understand that switching to a direct care practice from the traditional fee-for-service model can be financially disruptive and will also require an understanding of compliance issues in your state. (10) Having a financial and legal plan in place before making the switch is vital.

Transitioning to a direct care practice will also require time to educate existing patients on the benefits of this model, emphasizing increased physician time, reduced patient costs, and potentially better health outcomes. Due to the physician’s ethical mandate, it is also imperative to help patients who will not stay with the clinic find a new primary care physician. (1) To that end, networking with other primary care physicians in the community will likely be necessary.

Once you have foundational aspects in place (e.g., financial plan, office site, staff), it’s time to think about marketing. Be sure to create a professional-looking website and develop a strong marketing plan. As with any business, word of mouth is key, so focusing on delivering high-quality care will be important.

Whether you are starting a new direct care practice or transitioning from a fee-for-service clinical practice, these organizations offer additional resources:

  • American Academy of Family Physicians
  • DPC Frontier
  • DPC Alliance
person holding a supplement bottle and using a computer
Prescription medications are often dispensed at a lower cost or even included as a part of the monthly membership fee in direct primary care pharmacies.

Direct primary care pharmacy

Planning how you will dispense medications to patients is another important consideration when starting a direct primary care practice. Direct care clinics have two options:

  1. Dispense medications directly: The AAFP reports that 61% of direct care clinics have a pharmacy. Depending on the practice, offering discounted medications to members may be an appealing added value to patients.
  2. Refer patients to an online or local pharmacy: If there are pharmacies close to your practice or you are fond of an online program offering discounts, this may be an attractive option. (9) 

In some cases, with the direct primary care pharmacy, prescription medications are often dispensed at a lower cost or even included as a part of the monthly membership fee. (12)

The bottom line

It was previously thought that improving healthcare required a focus on three areas: enhancing the patient experience, improving health outcomes, and reducing costs. (4) The direct primary care business model adds a fourth imperative: improving the work life and health of the physicians and staff. Lifestyle medicine (integrative medicine) excels in all four areas, making the direct care practice an appealing option for many healthcare practitioners. (10)

Ready to start delivering better patient care? 

Join 70,000 practitioners who rely on Fullscript to dispense top-quality supplements to their patients.
Try Fullscript for free
catalog of supplements

Author

Karolyn Gazella Avatar
Written by Karolyn Gazella
Dr. Natacha Montpellier, ND, B.Sc.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Natacha Montpellier, ND, B.Sc.

Disclaimer

The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. Consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website.

SHARE THIS POST
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

More resources

Protocols
Practice resources
Ingredient library
Webinars

Make healthcare whole with Fullscript

Join 100,000+ providers building the future of whole person care today.

Create free account

Read more articles

Updates
—Targeted Probiotics for Targeted Outcomes: A Guide for Healthcare Providers
The probiotic market is growing fast as research highlights gut health. Strain-specific benefits mak...
Updates
—Patient Feedback Systems in Healthcare: A Practical Framework for Clinical Leaders
Transform patient feedback into care improvement with this evidence-based, 4-phase framework designe...
Practice Management
—Hybrid Supplement Dispensing: How One Functional Medicine Clinic Transformed Care
Discover how a functional medicine clinic used hybrid supplement dispensing with Fullscript to boost...

Fullscript content philosophy

At Fullscript, we are committed to curating accurate, and reliable educational content for providers and patients alike. Our educational offerings cover a broad range of topics related to whole person care, such as supplement ingredients, diet, lifestyle, and health conditions.

Medically reviewed by expert practitioners and our internal Medical Advisory Team, all Fullscript content adheres to the following guidelines:

  1. In order to provide unbiased and transparent education, information is based on a research review and obtained from trustworthy sources, such as peer-reviewed articles and government websites. All medical statements are linked to the original reference and all sources of information are disclosed within the article.
  2. Information about supplements is always based on ingredients. No specific products are mentioned or promoted within educational content.
  3. A strict policy against plagiarism is maintained; all our content is unique, curated by our team of writers and editors at Fullscript. Attribution to individual writers and editors is clearly stated in each article.
  4. Resources for patients are intended to be educational and do not replace the relationship between health practitioners and patients. In all content, we clearly recommend that readers refer back to their healthcare practitioners for all health-related questions.
  5. All content is updated on a regular basis to account for new research and industry trends, and the last update date is listed at the top of every article.
  6. Potential conflicts of interest are clearly disclosed.
Learn more

The healthiest cookies you’ll choose today

Our website uses cookies to collect useful information that lets us and our partners support basic functionality, analyze visitor traffic, deliver a better user experience, and provide ads tailored to your interests. Agreeing to the use of cookies is your choice. Learn more

Fullscript leaf icon
Platform
  • What’s new
  • Integrations
  • Testimonials
  • Catalog
Company
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Why Fullscript
  • Careers
  • Partnerships
  • Quality program
Help
  • Book a demo
  • Support Center
  • Provider FAQs
  • Patient FAQ
  • Contact us
  • Security
Developers
  • Engineering at Fullscript
  • API

© Fullscript 2025. All rights reserved.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Customer Support Policy
  • Acceptable Use Policy
  • Privacy Rights Notice
  • Auto Refill Terms and Conditions
  • Consumer Health Data Privacy Notice
American flag - toggles to show american specific contentUS
Canadian flag - toggles to show canada specific contentCanada