Your membership covers unlimited acute and chronic care visits during business hours. Sports physicals, DOT exams, hormone follow-up appointments, nutritional counseling, and body composition analysis are included too. Labs are billed separately at discounted direct pricing, and in-office procedures carry a flat $50 supply fee.
After-hours care is available at a flat rate: $100 for an in-person visit or $25 for a phone call. Standard membership is open to patients up to age 64. For a full look at what members and non-members can access, visit our clinic services overview.
Direct Primary Care vs. Traditional Insurance
This is the part people most often get wrong, so let's be clear. Direct primary care is not insurance, and it doesn't replace it. It covers your everyday primary care, while insurance or a cost-sharing plan covers the bigger, less predictable events.
Think of it like your pickup. Routine maintenance is one budget. Coverage for a major accident is another. Your membership handles the oil changes, and your coverage handles the tow truck and the body shop.
A primary care membership doesn't cover hospital stays, surgery, imaging, or specialist care. That's why many RAW members pair their membership with a HealthShare arrangement or a high-deductible or catastrophic plan. HealthShare plans are not regulated by Minnesota as insurance, so read the plan terms carefully. Our insurance vs. HealthShare guide explains how the pieces fit together.
Direct Primary Care vs. Concierge Medicine
These two models get mixed up a lot, and they do share a few traits. Both charge a recurring fee, and both promise more time with your provider and easier access.
The real difference is how the money moves. Concierge practices usually charge a retainer and still bill your insurance for visits. Direct primary care clinics generally don't bill insurance for primary care visits at all, because the monthly fee is the payment for that care.
Is Direct Primary Care Right for You?
The best way to decide is to look at what you'd actually get, and who the model tends to serve well.
Benefits Members Notice First
- Time: At RAW, your established care visit is 90 minutes, so there's room to talk through more than one concern.
- Continuity: You see the same provider, and your care team tracks what's been tried and what's worked.
- Access: Same-day and next-day scheduling for acute needs, plus direct messaging with your care team.
- Predictable costs: One monthly rate, with prices published before you sign up.
Research on patient experience points the same way. In one patient perception study, the most common positive themes were good communication and the provider's personability. The same study found that referrals to outside specialists were a common pain point, so it's smart to ask any clinic how it handles referrals.
Who It Fits Best
A membership tends to work well for self-employed people, families on high-deductible plans, and people without coverage. It's also a good match for anyone managing a chronic condition who wants steady follow-up with the same provider.
It may not be the right fit for everyone. If you need frequent specialist care for a complex condition, or your employer plan is genuinely affordable, traditional insurance may still make more sense for your household.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is direct primary care the same as concierge medicine?
No. Both models charge a recurring fee, but concierge practices usually still bill your insurance for visits. Direct primary care clinics are paid through the membership fee itself and don't bill insurance for primary care visits.
2. Do I still need insurance with direct primary care?
Yes, you should keep coverage for care a membership doesn't include. A primary care membership covers everyday visits, but it doesn't cover hospital stays, surgery, imaging, or specialist care. Many members pair it with a HealthShare arrangement or a high-deductible or catastrophic plan.
3. How much does direct primary care cost per month?
It depends on the clinic and the size of your household. At RAW, memberships run $80 a month for an individual, $150 for a couple, $40 for a young adult age 18 to 24, and $30 for a child with an adult member. A family with three or more children pays a $240 monthly maximum.
4. Is direct primary care available in rural areas?
Yes, and rural communities are one of the places the model shows up. A national shortage area study found that DPC practices were more likely than primary care physicians overall to be located in rural or partially rural shortage areas. In West Central Minnesota, RAW has clinics in Olivia and Redwood Falls and serves the surrounding communities.
5. What is a DPC doctor?
People often search for a "DPC doctor." A direct primary care clinician may be a physician or a nurse practitioner. At RAW, care is led by nurse practitioners.
Key Takeaways
- Add up a full year of your primary care costs, including premiums, copays, and deductible spending, before you compare a membership.
- Keep coverage for hospital stays, surgery, imaging, and specialist care, since a membership only covers everyday primary care.
- Ask any clinic for its published monthly rates and a written list of what's included and what's billed separately.
- Ask how a clinic handles referrals to specialists outside the practice before you sign up.
- Confirm whether a concierge practice also bills your insurance, so you know what you'd really pay.
