On this episode of the podcast, Terry and guest host David Balat, Healthcare Policy Director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, discuss direct primary care (DPC) and how it can offer patients greater access and lower prices than the traditional healthcare system.
Dr. Peter Lazzopina, founder of FRONTIER Direct Care, explains how DPC is like Netflix for healthcare. For one monthly fee, patients receive unlimited access to all their primary care needs. He argues that DPC is the best healthcare model for those with chronic disease because doctors see fewer patients, allowing them to spend longer with each one. Terry notes how DPC can help patients with dementia.
Terry and David also discuss federal legislation known as H.R. 3 and how it would delay new medications. David highlights how this legislation is not the best way to lower prescription drug costs. They point out how H.R. 3 only addresses one part of the prescription drug supply chain and doesn’t reform PBMs or other middlemen that are responsible for driving up medication prices.
Terry talks with Dr. Geetinder Goyal, founder and CEO of First Primary Care, who explains how he chose to go into DPC because he’s interested in the cost of care and was frustrated by how hard it is to navigate prices in healthcare. He discusses how DPC applies entrepreneurship and market principles to healthcare. And he highlights how doctors can truly be patient advocates under the DPC model. David explains how Dr. Goyal helped him through a health scare this year and how nice it was to have a physician advocating for him.
Dr. Cliff Porter, managing partner and founder of Texas Direct Medical Care, explains how patients can pair insurance with DPC. He highlights how DPC combined with catastrophic health insurance is a model that works for many patients. And he argues that the most significant benefit of DPC is that patients can pick up the phone to call their doctors without worrying about the bill.
Listen HERE.
