Direct Primary Care (DPC) Summit draws hundreds of enthusiastic family physicians.

Abstract

The numbers don’t lie. The Midwest’s first Direct Primary Care (DPC) Summit, held July 10–12, 2015 in Kansas City, Missouri, even surprised event organizers by racking up 317 attendees hailing from 45 states. Organizers knew they’d break even with 200 attendees, but 1 week ahead of the event, registration soared past 300 and suddenly, the 3-day meeting was sold out. When 10 people showed up to register on site, the AAFP and 2 event partners—the Family Medicine Education Consortium, Inc and the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians—obliged and squeezed a few more chairs into 3 already packed hotel meeting rooms. This new practice model—in which physicians charge patients a flat monthly or annual fee in exchange for a wide array of health care services—has piqued the interest of work-weary physicians who like the idea of taking back control of their practices and eliminating insurance hassles. According to the AAFP’s 2014 Practice Profile, 2% of family physicians are already practicing in a DPC setting. Although the survey indicated very few family physicians were transitioning to a DPC setting as of December 2014, 28% of family physicians are aware of DPC and are exploring the model in more depth before making a decision. Only 21% have explored and decided against the DPC model, and 49% are unaware of DPC.