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Dr. Jordan is rewriting the rules of healthcare. As the founder of Agency Health, he launched a cutting-edge Direct Primary Care practice built on a singular, uncompromising mission: to maximize your long-term independence, performance, and vitality. Jordan's medical philosophy is forged from an unconventional and powerful blend of disciplines. He began his career in Athletic Training, mastering the art of leveraging movement as medicine to optimize human performance. Driven by a deep curiosity for clinical science, he earned a Master's in Biomedical Research before completing his medical training at osteopathic medical school. This unique convergence—marrying high-level athletic rehabilitation, rigorous clinical research, and a holistic osteopathic approach—is the driving force behind Agency Health. Jordan doesn't just manage symptoms; he engineers personalized, preventive blueprints that empower you to own your health and live without limits.Find Dr. Leonard on IG/FB @theagencyhealth or at https://theagencyhealth.comWelcome to the Strength For Your Purpose Podcast where Dr. Phil Finemore, PT, DPT, Cert. DN, Cert. VRS, owner of WorkFitME Mobile Physical Therapy, has a goal of helping busy Maine professionals find the mental, emotional, and physical strength to fulfill their true purpose in life. The mission is to approach the topic of wellness holistically and show you how outer and inner strength can spill over to all areas of life, creating waves of positive change in its path.It would mean so much to me if you took the time to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast. Please share with family, friends, and coworkers so they too can learn more about how to find their inner strength to fulfill their true purpose in life.Find Strength For Your Purpose Podcast on social media:Facebook: www.facebook.com/strengthforyourpurposepodIG: @strengthforyourpurposepodYouTube: / @strengthforyourpurposepod Find Dr. Phil and WorkFitME on social media:Facebook: www.facebook.com/phil.finemore and www.facebook.com/workfitmeIG: @drphil_fine_more and @workfitmeTwitter: @drphilptdpt and @workfitmeLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drphilptdpt and www.linkedin.com/company/workfitmeEmail: drphil@workfitme.com
In this June sustainability episode, Maryal sits down with Dr. Daniel Hochman, a psychiatrist in private practice in Texas and the founder of Self Recovery, an online addiction curriculum built from thousands of hours of one-to-one clinical work.Dr. Hochman left the insurance model early, around 2014, because the deep, philosophical therapy he wanted to practice could never be reimbursed in a fee-for-service system. His definition of sustainability is simple and worth sitting with: work that is aligned with your interests is sustainable, and the drag of burnout shows up when there is interference and conflict instead of alignment.What you will hear in this episode:Why sustainability is about alignment with your interests, not just doing less, and how "slow down" can mean five different thingsHis trial-and-error method for building a personal repertoire of recovery tools, using something as ordinary as what you choose to watch at nightHow he protects a sacred solo lunch, eats at his desk, and works calisthenics and movement into the day instead of a separate gym routineThe honest distinction between what drains him: a suicidal patient that morning did not deplete him, but a misaligned patient asking for a quick fix didHow he screens for fit by taking every call himself and asking one question: "Are you curious?"How to neutrally end or decline a relationship that is not a fit, and why modeling that can itself be therapeuticThe story behind Self Recovery: why he spent years writing a true addiction curriculum rather than referring patients to subpar optionsHis addiction model that became the course structure: emotional pain leads to craving, craving to following through, following through to false pleasure, with a capstone on how to actually liveWhy an educational designer helped him break heavy material into digestible, story-driven modules that keep people asking "what's next"Why online, private, self-paced work helps people face their hardest material when they are ready, on their own timeA one-minute motivational interviewing technique any physician can memorize: "On a scale of zero to 10, how ready are you to change?" then "Why not higher, and why not lower?"The tool most physicians leave on the table in addiction care, and how to pitch it as helping a patient be accountable to their own better halfHis incremental, no-big-scary-beast advice for physicians who feel stuck but are not yet a 10 out of 10 ready to make the leapConnect with Dr. Hochman:Self Recovery (online addiction curriculum, direct to consumer)The Zanko Method, a curriculum for professionals living with addiction.One-day Intensives at his practice: hochmanhealth.com (see the Intensives tab)New to DPC? Head to the Start Here page at mydpcstory.com for a practical startup guide and the essential beginner episodes.Got a question for the show? Leave a voice message on the contact page at mydpcstory.com.Want commercial-free and extended episodes? Join the My DPC Story Patreon.Follow along @mydpcstory and find everything at mydpcstory.com.If this episode inspired you, please leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more physicians find these stories when they need them the most.Lean more about Hint Clinical today! Learn more about VIVID VAULT HEALTH SOLUTIONS TODAY! The DPC Directory: If you're a DPC doctor, you'll find resources to grow your practice! If you serve the DPC world, grab a FREE listing today and get discovered by doctors who need your services.
Can Direct Primary Care really pay off for a physician family carrying student loan debt and no employer match? In this episode of the My DPC Story podcast, host Dr. Maryal Concepcion talks with Dr. Manuel Vogt of Texas DPC about the real financial tools behind building a thriving practice.From a billboard at a railroad crossing to a 220-patient pre-enrollment list on opening day, Dr. Vogt shares how he and his wife built two separate Direct Primary Care clinics in San Antonio while protecting each other's autonomy. The standout story: how they used federal and state historic preservation tax credits, ADA credits, and a solar carport credit to fund a clinic renovation, then sold the state credits for 93 cents on the dollar.In this episode you'll learn:How a physician couple runs two independent DPC practices as a familyUsing historic tax credits to fund a clinic renovationSubleasing clinic space to cover your entire overheadMarketing to employers through a multi-clinic DPC umbrellaA workaround for Texas dispensing laws and discounted wholesale labsBetter diabetes care with CGMs and same-day textingFinding the panel size (around 500) that supports a daily 5K and school pickupsA pricing strategy that raises rates without losing patientsAdvocacy priorities: in-office dispensing and FSA eligibilityWhether you are a resident exploring Direct Primary Care or an established DPC owner planning expansion, this conversation is full of practical, money-saving ideas.
Dr. Emily Holt returns to the podcast one year after opening Poppy Direct Care in New Orleans, and the landscape around her has changed dramatically.When Maryal last spoke with Dr. Holt, Poppy was just months old and DPC Summit attendees were touring her 100-year-old clinic house. A year later, her panel has more than doubled, she's about to opt out of Medicare, and she's a named plaintiff in a lawsuit against Louisiana's Attorney General over the state's classification of mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances.This conversation goes deep on what it actually looks like to build a mission-driven DPC in a state that keeps making reproductive healthcare harder to deliver.In this episode, Dr. Holt shares:How word of mouth (plus authentic Instagram and TikTok) became her entire growth engineWhy her practice is intentionally slow-rolling, and how she and her husband decided what "enough" looks likeThe patient shift happening as 2026 insurance premiums skyrocket and Medicaid eligibility stays restrictiveWhat it means that every Planned Parenthood in Louisiana has closed, and how Poppy is trying to fill the gapHer free Tuesday night clinic for birth control and rapid STI testing, and the new Louisiana Health Department rules designed to shut clinics like hers outWhy being a Baija Charitable Alliance affiliate mattered for 340B pricing, and what the new program changes mean for small DPCs serving uninsured patientsThe reality of trying to provide IUDs for emergency contraception when no nearby pharmacy stocks themHow being her own boss let her join a lawsuit that employed physicians told her they couldn't touchWhat Reproductive Health Access Project (RHAP) offers cliniciansHer vision for turning Poppy into a training ground for med students and residents shut out of reproductive health experience in-stateMemorable moments:"If you can't stand for something, you will fall for anything."The state offering one dollar per patient to reimburse rapid STI testing supplies that cost forty-five dollarsThree generations of plumbers getting Poppy ready for Monday patientsWhy patients tell her, unprompted, that they trust her to trust themResources mentioned:Dr. Emily Holt's GoFundMe for an autoclave at Poppy Direct CareTake Me Home Program — free at-home HIV, hepatitis C, and syphilis testing mailed nationwideReproductive Health Access Project (RHAP)Dr. Byron Jasper and Byja Charitable AllianceAAFP DPC Member Interest GroupThe July My DPC Story live event in New Orleans, pairing Dr. Esther Katibi's nonprofit with Dr. Holt's work at PoppyDr. Holt's advice for DPC physicians thinking about reproductive health access in their own communities: find the helpers, get connected to local groups already doing the work, and don't wait until you have everything figured out to start.Learn more about VIVID VAULT HEALTH SOLUTIONS TODAY! Find a My DPC Story Event near you! State Summits in CA, IL, a My DPC Story LIVE event and the DPC Women's Summit are all coming! Learn more at mydpcstory.com/upcoming-events! The DPC Directory: If you're a DPC doctor, you'll find resources to grow your practice! If you serve the DPC world, grab a FREE listing today and get discovered by doctors who need your services.
What if your new patient visit didn't start with a 200-page ER record dump, scattered portal logins, and a patient saying "I think mom had some kind of cancer"? In this episode of My DPC Story, Dr. Maryal Concepcion sits down with Anna Smith, RN, MPH, CEO of Vivid Vault Health Solutions, to talk about a patient-owned, multi-generational health navigation platform built to strengthen the physician-patient relationship, not replace it.Anna shares her realization that healthcare collects massive amounts of data but rarely puts it in patients' hands in a way they can actually use. That moment became Vivid Vault, a bootstrapped, non-VC, non-PE-funded platform designed to help families consolidate records across generations so DPC physicians can finally practice with the comprehensive, portable patient story we've always needed. Big Trees MD is an early adopter, and Dr. Concepcion walks through exactly why.If you want to give your patients a comprehensive, portable, patient-owned record system without adding another six-figure EMR to your stack, book a leadership call at vividvaulthealth.org or email together@vividvaulthealth.org. Download the Vivid Vault app in the Apple Store starting April 22. If this episode moved you, leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts.What You'll LearnWhy fragmented records cost DPC physicians time, accuracy, and patient retention. How Vivid Vault works as a health navigator, not a new EMR or added workflow. Why multi-generational, family-linked records matter, and how permissions, proxies, and minors are handled. How PROMIS assessments give physicians insight between visits. How wearable data (Apple Health, Oura, WHOOP, Garmin, Dexcom soon) is timestamped and clinically usable. Why patient-owned data is non-negotiable and what happens if a patient leaves your practice or the platform. How LLM-assisted review surfaces what matters in a 200-page ER packet without replacing clinical judgment. Why B2C with a DPC practice discount keeps the financial burden off clinics.About Our GuestAnna Smith, RN, MPH, is the CEO and founder of Vivid Vault Health Solutions, a Colorado-based, bootstrapped health navigation platform. Her background spans bedside nursing, public health, medical records administration in cardiology, and patient advocacy. She is a mother of three and builds alongside a leadership team whose lived experience, including parenting a heart transplant recipient, shapes every design decision.ResourcesFind the Vivid Vault app in the Apple App store today!Website: vividvaulthealth.org (scroll to bottom right and click "Schedule with Leadership") Email: together@vividvaulthealth.org Connect with My DPC StoryStart Here page for every stage of your DPC journey: mydpcstory.comSupport the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOADBecome A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
Hosted by Michael Tetreault | Editor-in-Chief, Concierge Medicine Today Episode Overview In one of the most comprehensive episodes in DocPreneur Leadership Podcast history, host Michael Tetreault takes an honest, evidence-based, and encouraging look at the cash-pay and subscription-based primary care landscape — who it serves, how it works, where it's heading, and what every physician and advanced practice clinician needs to understand before making a career-defining decision. This episode doesn't take sides. It takes a clear-eyed look at the full picture — including the parts that don't always make it into the conference keynote. What's Covered in This Episode The Foundation Not all subscription-based primary care models are the same. Two models operating in this space share surface-level similarities but are structurally distinct businesses with different economic logic, different patient populations, and different long-term trajectories. Understanding which one you're considering — and why — changes everything about how you plan. A Lesson From Healthcare History Before committing to any practice model, it helps to understand what happened to the movements that came before it. This episode traces three instructive parallels: the micropractice and ideal medical practice movement of the early 2000s; the decades-long fight for healthcare price transparency and what happened when physicians finally got it; and the rise and reality check of retail health — what scaled, what didn't, and why. The common thread in every model that has achieved durable scale in American healthcare is the same: structural fit with the economic environment, not ideological purity. Two Pathways, One Brand Name The episode walks through both economic models in the cash-pay primary care space — the purist, cash-only, no-insurance model and the employer-integrated model — explaining how each works, who each serves, and what the financial picture actually looks like for physicians considering either path. The revenue math is done out loud. The sustainability data from peer-reviewed research is cited. The patient demographic fit for each model is examined honestly and specifically. Who Each Model Serves — and Where Other Models Fit Better A detailed breakdown of the patient populations each model genuinely serves well — and an honest, evidence-based look at the patient populations where other models may be a better structural fit. Including Medicare-eligible patients, patients with complex chronic disease, lower-income households, and employees of small and mid-sized businesses. The Overlooked Opportunity — NPs, PAs, and Advanced Practice Clinicians One of the most significant and underexplored opportunities in subscription-based healthcare delivery today is the direct-care model as a pathway for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other advanced practice clinicians. The evidence on NP and PA-led primary care outcomes is strong and peer-reviewed. The physician shortage projections make the need urgent. And the organizational infrastructure for advanced practice clinician-led direct-care practices is largely unbuilt — which means the opportunity belongs to whoever moves first. The Organizational Landscape An honest look at what the multiplicity of organizations, coalitions, and alliances in the cash-pay primary care space tells us — and what research on professional association dynamics says about the long-term implications of organizational fragmentation for legislative effectiveness and individual practice planning. One Brand, Two Directions Drawing on four documented historical parallels from the history of American medicine — the AMA and managed care, osteopathic medicine's identity divide, family medicine's emergence as a separate specialty, and the micropractice movement — the episode makes the case that two communities with genuinely different economic interests and regulatory priorities currently sharing a brand name may, consistent with historical precedent, find their own distinct professional homes over time. This is presented as pattern recognition grounded in verified historical evidence — and as practical planning context for physicians building practices today. The Tax and Structuring Update A clear, practical summary of the 2025 "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act changes — effective January 2026 — and what they mean for HSA eligibility of cash-pay membership fees. What qualifies, what doesn't, and why legal counsel is essential before making any representations to patients about tax-advantaged payment options. Eight Questions Before You Commit A practical pre-decision checklist — eight specific questions every physician or advanced practice clinician should be able to answer clearly before committing to any cash-pay practice pathway. Key Takeaways Cash-pay primary care and concierge medicine are not the same model, do not serve the same patient populations, and should not be evaluated as interchangeable alternatives. The purist cash-pay model has grown from approximately 100 practices in 2009 to over 2,100 by 2023 — real and meaningful growth. The financial sustainability data, however, reflects consistent challenges that peer-reviewed research has documented specifically in lower-income markets and solo practice settings. The employer-integrated pathway has stronger structural sustainability — multiple revenue streams, embedded benefit relationships, and documented employer cost reductions of 12 to 20 percent over three to five years. A December 2025 Johns Hopkins study found concierge and cash-pay primary care practices combined grew 83.1 percent between 2018 and 2023. The employer-integrated model is the primary driver of that growth trajectory. Concierge medicine — particularly the PCM model — is not retreating. The global concierge medicine market is projected to surpass $34 billion by 2032 and is growing at a compound annual rate that outpaces most healthcare market segments. The National Academy of Medicine's 2021 Future of Nursing report, AAMC physician shortage projections, and peer-reviewed NP/PA outcomes research collectively point to advanced practice clinician-led direct-care models as one of the most significant underexplored opportunities in subscription-based healthcare delivery. Pattern recognition from healthcare history — price transparency, retail health, the micropractice movement — consistently shows that the distance between a compelling healthcare idea and durable scaled impact is longer and more complicated than early advocacy suggests. Models that have achieved durable scale in American primary care share one characteristic: structural fit with the economic environment, not independence from it. Sources and Citations All claims in this episode are supported by published, verifiable sources. Full citations below. Micropractice and Practice Model History Moore, G. (2002). "Accountability and Improvement in Physician Practice." Family Medicine. Moore, G. & Showstack, J. (2003). "Primary Care Medicine in Crisis." Health Affairs. healthaffairs.org AAFP TransforMED Initiative. (2006). aafp.org Nutting, P.A. et al. (2010). "Initial Lessons From the First National Demonstration Project on Practice Transformation to a Patient-Centered Medical Home." Annals of Family Medicine. Rittenhouse, D.R. et al. (2009). "Primary Care and Accountable Care." New England Journal of Medicine. Rittenhouse, D.R. & Shortell, S.M. (2009). "The Patient-Centered Medical Home." JAMA. Price Transparency Research Pathak, Y. & Muhlestein, D. (2024). "Public Awareness and Use of Price Transparency: Report From a National Survey." West Health Institute / Gallup. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Parente, S.T. (2023). "Estimating the Impact of New Health Price Transparency Policies." Inquiry.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ScienceDirect. (2025). "Outcomes of Price Transparency Policies for Healthcare Services in the United States: A Systematic Review." sciencedirect.com Retail Health Fein, A.J. (2017). "Retail Clinic Check Up: CVS Retrenches, Walgreens Outsources, Kroger Expands." Drug Channels. drugchannels.net CNBC. (2024). "Why Walmart, Walgreens, CVS Retail Health Clinic Experiment Is Struggling." cnbc.com Healthcare Finance News. (2023). "Retail Clinics Seeing Utilization Soar, Popularity Grow." healthcarefinancenews.com MedCity News. (2023). "Retail Clinics Are Gaining Momentum." medcitynews.com Cash-Pay and Subscription Primary Care Market Data MedCity News. (March 2026). "DPC Is Scaling — The Financing Architecture Isn't Ready." medcitynews.com Johns Hopkins. (December 2025). Study on concierge and cash-pay practice growth 2018–2023. As cited in MedCity News, March 2026. Liaw, W. et al. (2024). "Direct Primary Care: Financial Analysis and Potential to Reshape the U.S. Healthcare Landscape." Journal of General Internal Medicine. springer.com Lujan, D.Y. (2025). "Why Direct Primary Care Models Fail." KevinMD. kevinmd.com Doan, L. et al. (2019). "Physician Perspectives on Direct Primary Care." Family Medicine. Eskew, P.M. & Klink, K. (2015). "Direct Primary Care: Practice Distribution and Cost Across the Nation." Health Affairs. healthaffairs.org Tseng, P. et al. (2018). "Administrative Costs Associated With Physician Billing and Insurance-Related Activities." JAMA Internal Medicine. Medscape Physician Compensation Report. (2023). medscape.com Employer-Integrated Model Spann, S.J. et al. (2020). "Employer-Sponsored Direct Primary Care." Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. (2021). purchaseralliance.org Kaiser Family Foundation. (2023). Employer Health Benefits Annual Survey. kff.org National Business Group on Health. (2022). businessgrouphealth.org Employers Health Coalition. (2022). employershealthcoalition.org Patient Demographics and Population Health Anderson, G.F. (2010). "Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care." Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Tikkanen, R. & Abrams, M.K. (2020). "U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective." Commonwealth Fund.commonwealthfund.org Collins, S.R. et al. (2022). "Paying for It: How Health Insurance and Healthcare Costs Are Shaping the Lives of American Adults." Commonwealth Fund. commonwealthfund.org Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). "Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements." bls.gov Petterson, S. et al. (2012). "Unequal Distribution of the U.S. Primary Care Workforce." Annals of Family Medicine. Advanced Practice Clinicians and Nursing Laurant, M. et al. (2019). "Revision of Professional Roles and Quality Improvement in Primary Care." New England Journal of Medicine. Naylor, M.D. & Kurtzman, E.T. (2010). "The Role of Nurse Practitioners in Reinventing Primary Care." Health Affairs. healthaffairs.org National Academy of Medicine. (2021). "The Future of Nursing 2020–2030." nationalacademies.org AAMC. (2021). "The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections from 2019–2034." aamc.org Legal, Tax, and Compliance Eischen, J. (2025). Legal Commentary on Cash Practice Structuring. eischenlawoffice.com DLA Piper. (2025). "Paying for Direct Primary Care Arrangements With HSAs." dlapiper.com IRS Notice 26-05. irs.gov CMS. "Opt-Out Affidavits and Private Contracts." cms.gov Organizational and Professional Identity Research Hoff, T.J. (2010). Practice Under Pressure: Primary Care Physicians and Their Medicine in the Twenty-First Century. Rutgers University Press. Scott, W.R. (2008). Institutions and Organizations: Ideas and Interests. SAGE Publications. Freidson, E. (2001). Professionalism: The Third Logic. University of Chicago Press. Wolinsky, H. & Brune, T. (1994). The Serpent on the Staff: The Unhealthy Politics of the American Medical Association. Putnam. Gevitz, N. (2004). The DOs: Osteopathic Medicine in America. Johns Hopkins University Press. Stephens, G.G. (1989). "Family Medicine as Counterculture." Journal of Family Practice. Colwill, J.M. (1992). "Where Have All the Primary Care Applicants Gone?" New England Journal of Medicine. Meltzer, D.O. & Chung, J.W. (2014). "The Population-Based Physician Workforce." Health Affairs.healthaffairs.org Bodenheimer, T. & Pham, H.H. (2010). "Primary Care: Current Problems and Proposed Solutions." Health Affairs. healthaffairs.org Grumbach, K. & Grundy, P. (2010). "Outcomes of Implementing Patient Centered Medical Home Interventions." JAMA. Concierge Medicine Market Data Grand View Research. (2022). Concierge Medicine Market Size & Growth Report. grandviewresearch.com Precedence Research. (2023). U.S. Concierge Medicine Market Size and Forecast. globenewswire.com MDVIP. (2020). Personalized Primary Care Reduces ER Visits, Hospitalizations, and Outpatient Expenditures.mdvip.com AAPP / Software Advice. (2023). "Concierge Medicine Salary and Definition." softwareadvice.com Disclaimer The DocPreneur Leadership Podcast is produced by Concierge Medicine Today, LLC, an independent healthcare leadership publication. This episode and its accompanying summary are intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing in this episode or summary constitutes medical, legal, financial, or accounting advice. The information presented reflects publicly available research, published data, and editorial observation, and is not intended to replace the guidance of qualified medical, legal, financial, or business professionals. All factual claims are supported by named, verifiable third-party sources, which are cited in full above. Concierge Medicine Today makes no guarantee regarding the completeness or currency of external sources cited and encourages listeners to verify information independently. References to specific organizations, publications, legal decisions, or market data are provided for educational context only. Mention of any organization, publication, or individual does not constitute endorsement, and no commercial relationship exists between Concierge Medicine Today and any source cited in this episode unless otherwise disclosed. Physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other clinicians considering any practice model change are strongly encouraged to seek qualified legal counsel with specific experience in healthcare compliance, tax structuring, and the applicable regulatory environment in their state before making any practice or business decisions. © 2007–2026 Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction or distribution of this content without written permission is prohibited.
This month on the My DPC Story podcast we are talking about the tools that serve us, and Dr. Michael Hobbs is a voice you do not want to miss.Dr. Hobbs is a pediatrician and founder of Lakes Pediatrics, the first pediatric Direct Primary Care practice in the Minneapolis area, serving families across Edina, Wayzata, and the western suburbs. He brings over twenty years in Twin Cities pediatrics, more than a decade as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Top Doctor recognition from Mpls.St.Paul Magazine and Minnesota Monthly, subspecialty training in infectious diseases and Group A Strep, and a Reach Institute mini-fellowship in pediatric mental health care.What makes this episode essential listening is Dr. Hobbs himself. A self-described knowledgeable hacker who grew up alongside the technology, from a Commodore 64 to writing early web pages, he has watched the entire arc of medical documentation: index cards, paper charts, dictation, the EHR, templates, and now AI scribes. He knows what gets better and what gets worse when tech enters the exam room.In this conversation, Dr. Hobbs covers:The one question to ask before adopting any tool, EHR, phone system, or AIWhy building your own tools is more doable than you thinkWhy now is not the time to lock into a long term software contractThe difference between AI that serves you and AI that turns you into a liability machinePatient transparency, shadow AI, BAAs, and using tools safelyWhy LLMs are terrible at math, learned the hard wayThe best first AI investment for a new DPC doctor on a small budgetAI as a clinical decision support thought partner, not a guideline machineAnd because both Dr. Concepcion and Dr. Hobbs are recovering anthropology buffs, they keep returning to the truth underneath the technology: people like people. The tools only matter if they give us more room to be human with the families we serve.Whether you are deep into building AI workflows or you hear the word AI and want to run, this episode meets you where you are.New to DPC or ready to go deeper? Visit the Start Here page at mydpcstory.com. Have a question for the show? Leave a voice message on the Contact page. Loved this episode? Leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts and follow @mydpcstory on socials.Connect with Dr. Hobbs at lakespediatrics.com.Learn more about VIVID VAULT HEALTH SOLUTIONS TODAY! Find a My DPC Story Event near you! State Summits in CA, IL, a My DPC Story LIVE event and the DPC Women's Summit are all coming! Learn more at mydpcstory.com/upcoming-events! The DPC Directory: If you're a DPC doctor, you'll find resources to grow your practice! If you serve the DPC world, grab a FREE listing today and get discovered by doctors who need your services.
Dr. Maryal Concepcion welcomes Dr. Nyasha Spears, family physician and co-founder of Amity Creek Primary Care in Duluth, Minnesota. After her century-old community clinic was closed by a corporate hospital system with just 36 days notice, Dr. Spears took her former employer to court, won a temporary injunction against her non-compete, and opened the doors to Amity Creek alongside her partner Dr. Kristen Lusian.What You'll LearnHow a corporate hospital merger transformed a beloved community clinic and pushed Dr. Spears toward DPCWhy she chose to sue for her freedom rather than accept her non-competeThe strategies she explored to get around her non-compete and why most didn't workHow she partnered with Dr. Kristen Lucian while legally restricted from being an LLC ownerWhy "don't lawyer up" advice didn't apply to her situationHow a judge ruled physician non-competes against the public interestWhat it looks like to serve patients with catastrophic insurance, trauma history, and chronic anxiety in DPCWhy partnership in DPC reduces decision fatigueHow to balance opening a practice with parenting and presenceAbout Dr. Nyasha SpearsDr. Nyasha Spears is a family physician in Duluth, Minnesota. She trained at the Duluth Family Medicine Residency Program and practiced full spectrum family medicine including operative obstetrics in Ashland, Wisconsin before returning to Duluth. She is passionate about community medicine, independent physician practice, and serving patients in the way they truly need.Connect with Dr. Nyasha SpearsVisit Amity Creek Direct Primary Care online for more information about her practice in Duluth, Minnesota.Subscribe and Support My DPC StoryLeave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts to help other physicians find these stories. Join our Patreon for commercial-free episodes and extended conversations. Visit mydpcstory.com for the Start Here page, free resources, and the DPC Toolkit Magazine. Follow @mydpcstory on all platforms.Learn more about VIVID VAULT HEALTH SOLUTIONS TODAY! Find a My DPC Story Event near you! State Summits in CA, IL, a My DPC Story LIVE event and the DPC Women's Summit are all coming! Learn more at mydpcstory.com/upcoming-events! The DPC Directory: If you're a DPC doctor, you'll find resources to grow your practice! If you serve the DPC world, grab a FREE listing today and get discovered by doctors who need your services.
Dr. Courtney Barrett, founder of True Insight Direct Care in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, opens our May theme, The Tools You Use, with a conversation that redefines what tools means in a Direct Primary Care practice. As a DO offering osteopathic manipulative treatment alongside full-spectrum primary care, Dr. Barrett shares how OMT functions as both a clinical tool and a front door to membership.We dig into her EHR vetting process, her non-negotiables for tech stack decisions, and why patient experience optimization shaped every choice. Dr. Barrett also shares how her husband Jeff, a former 911 dispatcher, joined the practice full-time and built operational workflows that anticipate needs before they happen. From phlebotomy setup to OMT documentation, prior authorization handling, employer contracting, HSA-funded memberships, health share pairings, and her board work with Hope and Vine supporting young women aging out of foster care, this conversation covers the full spectrum of tools that make a DPC practice work.What You Will LearnHow non-member OMT services bring patients in who later become DPC membersHow to talk to patients about DO vs MD, and OMT vs chiropractic careWhy HSA-funded DPC memberships became a major enrollment driverHer tech stack philosophy: cohesive over fragmented, patient experience firstNon-negotiables: charting without juggling windows, automated patient communication, CSV file portabilityWorking directly with employers without middlemenPairing DPC with health shares for catastrophic coverageResourcesTrue Insight Direct Care blogmydpcstory.com Learn page: free business plan, BAA, and EHR rubricDr. Feneisha Franklin's episode on acquiring a DPC practiceVote in the Battle of the Support Stack running all month at mydpcstory.com.Learn more about VIVID VAULT HEALTH SOLUTIONS TODAY! Find a My DPC Story Event near you! State Summits in CA, IL, a My DPC Story LIVE event and the DPC Women's Summit are all coming! Learn more at mydpcstory.com/upcoming-events! The DPC Directory: If you're a DPC doctor, you'll find resources to grow your practice! If you serve the DPC world, grab a FREE listing today and get discovered by doctors who need your services.
Dr. Maryal Concepcion welcomes Dr. Jihan Ansari, founder of Harbor Direct Primary Care in South Orange County, California. Dr. Ansari shares the marketing strategies that grew her DPC practice from patient zero to a thriving two-physician clinic she runs with her husband, Dr. Pedram Ansari. From cold-calling former co-resident Dr. Jose Buenostro to learn about DPC, to filming a TikTok before jury duty that unexpectedly went viral, Dr. Ansari's story is a real-world playbook for direct primary care physicians who want to market authentically without expensive ads or pushy sales tactics.What You'll LearnHow a single TikTok with the tagline "I'm the doctor who doesn't take insurance" went viralWhy the "I'm the doctor that..." hook captures attention on social mediaHow she built a virtual waitlist of 10 to 11 patients before opening day using Facebook groupsWhy TikTok rewards organic content and how she uses it to educate patients about DPCHow to evaluate and hire a marketing team that genuinely understands DPCWhy she stopped Facebook and Instagram ads and doubled down on Google ads and SEOHow transparent cash pricing on her website attracts patients seeking alternatives to insuranceWhich community marketing efforts didn't pay off and why she walked awayHow a virtual assistant helped scale onboarding without losing the personal touchWorking together as a physician couple in one DPC practiceServing small employer groups in Orange CountyBoundaries, parenting, and sustainability as a DPC physicianAbout Dr. Jihan AnsariDr. Jihan Ansari is a board-certified family medicine physician and co-founder of Harbor Direct Primary Care in South Orange County, California. She completed her residency at UCSF Fresno alongside Dr. Jose Buenostro. Born in Southern California and educated on the East Coast, she practiced briefly in Canada before returning to launch Harbor DPC with her husband, Dr. Pedram Ansari. She is passionate about lifestyle medicine, root-cause care, and accessible primary care.Connect with Dr. Jihan AnsariVisit Learn more about VIVID VAULT HEALTH SOLUTIONS TODAY! Find a My DPC Story Event near you! State Summits in CA, IL, a My DPC Story LIVE event and the DPC Women's Summit are all coming! Learn more at mydpcstory.com/upcoming-events! The DPC Directory: If you're a DPC doctor, you'll find resources to grow your practice! If you serve the DPC world, grab a FREE listing today and get discovered by doctors who need your services.
After nearly a decade as a hospitalist in the Washington, DC area, Dr. Nadia Sirdar realized she had stopped feeling. End-of-life conversations had become a script. Length-of-stay metrics were drowning out the humans in front of her. She wasn't burned out on medicine. She was burned out on the system.In this episode of My DPC Story, Dr. Maryal Concepcion sits down with Dr. Sirdar, internal medicine physician, public health expert, and founder of Find Bethesda Doctor, to talk about the leap from hospital medicine to Direct Primary Care, opting out of Medicare to care for elderly patients aging in place, building a practice for women in midlife (and the surprise wave of husbands who joined too), and what it actually takes to thrive as a physician and as a patient over a lifetime.This conversation is for any physician who has scrolled federal job boards at midnight wondering "is this it?", and for anyone who needs to hear that saying your dream out loud is the first move toward making it real.What You'll LearnWhy hospitalist autopilot can mimic a stable career while quietly costing you everythingHow opting out of Medicare unlocked Dr. Sirdar's ability to care for elderly patients aging in placeWhy multilingual care (English, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu) and cultural fluency change patient outcomesHow to build a DPC practice for women in midlife, perimenopause, and menopause, and why men keep asking to joinThe financial planning realities of leaving fee-for-service: self-funding, opt-out timelines, and why a smaller piggy bank forces smarter decisionsHow to set boundaries with patients without losing the relationshipWhy "if you've seen one DPC, you've seen one DPC" is the most freeing sentence in medicineThe vendor traps new DPC physicians fall into and how to avoid themHow functional strength, real food, and aging in place are the three pillars of thriving Dr. Sirdar teaches her patientsTake the FREE DPC Marketing Self Assessment from AlignedMD HERE. Find a My DPC Story Event near you! State Summits in CA, IL, a My DPC Story LIVE event and the DPC Women's Summit are all coming! Learn more at mydpcstory.com/upcoming-events! The DPC Directory: If you're a DPC doctor, you'll find resources to grow your practice! If you serve the DPC world, grab a FREE listing today and get discovered by doctors who need your services.
Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with bioethicist and psychiatrist Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, author of “Making the Cut: How to Heal Modern Medicine.”
Bioethicist and psychiatrist Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, author of “Making the Cut: How to Heal Modern Medicine,” discusses declining public trust in healthcare. Kheriaty describes his medical training and argues medicine has become an industrial, bureaucratic “turnstile” system that dehumanizes care, turns physicians into data-entry clerks, and relies on reimbursement-driven “guidelines” and narrow evidence-based medicine that favors costly pharmaceuticals. He proposes creating “parallel” grassroots medical institutions—such as direct primary care—analogous to homeschooling and Eastern European dissidents' “parallel polis,” since systemic reform from within is difficult. Kheriaty recounts opposing COVID vaccine mandates at UC Irvine, being fired after suing, and participating in Missouri v. Biden and Ho v. Newsom, which challenged government-influenced social-media censorship and California's physician “misinformation” law. He also discusses informed consent, assisted suicide opposition, and advocating opt-in organ donation.
What does it actually take to market a direct specialty care practice in a city full of competitors? For Dr. Ashley Agan, otolaryngologist and founder of Scottie ENT in Dallas, Texas, the answer had nothing to do with billboards or ad spend, and everything to do with how patients felt when they left her office.In this episode, Dr. Agan shares her journey from nearly 13 years at UT Southwestern, including a clerkship director role, to opening her own cash-pay ENT practice named after her late grandmother. From her first pivot away from saying "I'm an otolaryngologist" to leading with "I help you breathe better," Dr. Agan breaks down the marketing mindset shift that changed everything for her practice growth.In this episode, you'll hear:Why Google reviews became the cornerstone of her marketing strategy and what patients consistently say that sets Scottie ENT apartHow she approaches the elevator pitch without feeling salesy and the mindset reframe that makes it feel naturalWhy she stopped offering superbills and what happened when she didHow transparent cash pricing on her website is attracting a patient population she never expectedThe one marketing mistake she would undo from day one, and what she would start doing before she even opened her doorsHow her physician podcast, Back Table ENT, became an unexpected referral engine for out-of-state and international patientsWhat DPC primary care physicians need to know about referring into a direct specialty care practice and how to make those referrals countHer approach to bundled surgical pricing and how she found a surgery center partner that makes cash-pay surgery accessibleHow she uses telemedicine to serve patients across Texas and beyond, including virtual second opinions for her niche specialty in patulous eustachian tube dysfunctionDr. Agan also speaks candidly about building a personal brand alongside a clinic brand, the role her executive MBA played in understanding the business of medicine, and why she believes marketing your practice is ultimately an act of service — not self-promotion.Connect with Dr. Ashley Agan: Scottie ENT | Dallas, Texas Back Table ENT PodcastResources mentioned in this episode: Take the FREE DPC Marketing Self Assessment from AlignedMD HERE. Find a My DPC Story Event near you! State Summits in CA, IL, a My DPC Story LIVE event and the DPC Women's Summit are all coming! Learn more at mydpcstory.com/upcoming-events! The DPC Directory: If you're a DPC doctor, you'll find resources to grow your practice! If you serve the DPC world, grab a FREE listing today and get discovered by doctors who need your services.
In this episode of Main Street Matters, Elaine Parker sits down with Dr. Lee Gross, president of Docs for Patient Care Foundation, to break down how America’s healthcare system became bloated, expensive, and inefficient—and what can actually fix it. Dr. Gross shares how direct primary care (DPC) is transforming healthcare by eliminating insurance middlemen, lowering costs, and restoring the doctor-patient relationship. From $2,000 lab tests costing just $80 to MRIs priced at a fraction of traditional rates, this conversation exposes the hidden drivers behind skyrocketing healthcare costs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Settlements over poultry pollution in Oklahoma get rejected by a federal judge.Health officials raise concerns about Republican plans to change Medicaid expansion.A program known as direct primary care is growing in Oklahoma.You can find the KOSU Daily wherever you get your podcasts, you can also subscribe, rate us and leave a comment.You can keep up to date on all the latest news throughout the day at KOSU.org and make sure to follow us on Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram at KOSU Radio.This is The KOSU Daily, Oklahoma news, every weekday.
Send us Fan MailIs American primary care already past the point of no return?In this clip from our episode “Why US Healthcare is Fundamentally Broken”, host David E. Williams and guest Zeev Neuwirth, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Rezilient Health, confront a stark reality about where primary care spending stands today.
Why Operational Gaps in Independent Medicine Are a Systems Problem — Not a Physician Problem By Michael Tetreault, Host, DocPreneur Leadership Podcast | Editor-In-Chief, Concierge Medicine Today There's a pattern showing up across independent medicine — in Direct Primary Care, in concierge practices, in membership-based models of every size. Highly trained physicians keep asking what look like basic business and technology questions. And the most common response? Frustration. Eye rolls. The quiet assumption that these doctors just aren't cut out for ownership. That response is wrong. And it's worth slowing down to understand why. Start With First Principles What are we actually asking physicians to do when we invite them into independent practice? We're asking them to step out of employed models — where operations, technology, billing, and compliance are handled by someone else — and into full ownership of every one of those functions. Clinical. Operational. Financial. Often overnight. Often without a structured transition. Then we express surprise when gaps appear. That's not a physician problem. That's a systems problem. When you remove the infrastructure without replacing it, gaps aren't a sign of failure. They're the predictable, entirely logical outcome of an incomplete transition. What Forums Reveal — and What They Can't Fix Peer forums in independent medicine have become something they were never designed to be: de facto training systems. Physicians turn to them because something has to fill the gap. And forums offer speed, community, and real-world experience. That matters. But forums are reactive by nature. They answer the question in front of them. They don't build the foundational readiness that prevents the question from needing to be asked in the first place. Repeated "basic" questions in those spaces aren't annoyances. They're signals. They're telling us that structured onboarding for independent practice doesn't yet exist at scale — and that the profession is quietly improvising around that absence every single day. The Real Leadership Question If independent medicine is going to grow — if concierge and membership-based care is going to fulfill its potential to reshape how Americans experience primary care — it has to become something more than a movement. It has to become a system. That means scalable onboarding. Structured operational frameworks. High-trust training environments where physicians can ask the questions they need to ask without social penalty. Clinical excellence got them here. Operational readiness is what sustains them. The difference between those two things isn't a character flaw. It's a training gap. And training gaps are solvable. In This Episode, We Explore: Why operational gaps show up in otherwise high-performing physicians The difference between intelligence and operational readiness Why peer forums can't — and shouldn't — carry the burden of onboarding What scalable, high-trust training actually looks like in membership-based care How better systems — not better criticism — move this model forward The Bottom Line The next phase of leadership in independent medicine isn't just about inspiring physicians to build differently. It's about giving them the structured foundations to do it well. That's repeatable. That's transferable. That's the work. If you're building — or seriously considering — a membership-based practice, you don't have to figure this out in isolation. Explore leadership insights, operational frameworks, and real-world case studies: Concierge Medicine Today Leadership Hub & Knowledge Center Submit a question, article, or perspective Join us at the industry's annual conference in Atlanta every October — where physicians, operators, and innovators come together to build better systems, not just better ideas. This content is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, financial, or professional advice.
What does it look like when a physician gets laid off from a corporate-acquired DPC practice and turns that loss into the exact practice he always wanted to build?We close out Financial Sustainability Month with Dr. Josh Chow, DO and his wife Katherine Chow of Ohana Medical in Centennial, Colorado. Their story is one of resilience, financial clarity, and a deep commitment to family, both the one they are raising and the one they are building with their patients.Dr. Chow spent five and a half years in what started as his dream DPC job. When that practice was sold to a corporate entity, everything changed. Rather than accept the new normal, he and Katherine spent months searching for another DPC position before deciding they had to build their own. Ohana Medical opened in October 2025.In this episode we cover:Why he left surgical residency and how that training shapes his DPC todayHow they funded their startup with a family loan, severance, and a ~$100K budgetTheir pricing strategy, open enrollment timing, and insurance broker vetting processOne-time visits as a patient conversion toolIn-house pharmacy, procedures, and financial non-negotiablesTax strategy: Augusta Rule, home office deductions, sole proprietor LLCRetirement planning: Roth IRAs from day one and front-loaded 529sRunning a practice and a family alongside your spouseThis one is honest, practical, and deeply relatable. Listen now.Osprey CFO handles your DPC financial infrastructure so you can focus on patients and growth. Get your FREE Osprey + My DPC Story Financial Decision Tree HERE. DPC gives you autonomy. But autonomy without financial clarity becomes stress in disguise.Cash flow. Owner pay. Hiring timing. Tax strategy.These aren't afterthoughts. They're what protect your freedom long term.Book a free 30-minute strategy call with Osprey CFO to see how they can help you handle the financial infrastructure of your DPC so you can focus on patients Find a My DPC Story Event near you! State Summits in CA, IL, a My DPC Story LIVE event and the DPC Women's Summit are all coming! Learn more at mydpcstory.com/upcoming-events! Earn money WHILE running your DPC! Join SERMO for FREE today!Support the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOADBecome A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
Send us Fan MailPrimary care is on life support. Administrative burden is crushing physicians, employer healthcare is broken, and decades of reform efforts have barely moved the needle. So what does real transformation actually look like?Zeev Neuwirth, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Rezilient Health joins host David E. Williams to discuss why the American healthcare system keeps failing despite enormous resources, what direct primary care and employer contracting can do differently, and why GLP-1s without lifestyle medicine may be a costly mistake.
Can Your DPC Practice Survive Its Own Success?Most physicians opening a Direct Primary Care practice master the clinical side quickly. The harder challenge? Running the business that sustains it.In this episode of My DPC Story, host Dr. Maryal Concepcion sits down with Tom Squire, founder of Osprey CFO, a financial advisory firm built specifically to support small businesses and DPC practices. Tom brings a background in banking and private equity and translates that institutional financial playbook for independent physician practice owners.Whether you're pre-launch, in your first year, or scaling a multi-location DPC, this conversation will help you identify where your finances are quietly costing you time, money, and peace of mind.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The two biggest financial problems DPC physicians face as their panel growsWhy the systems that worked when you opened your practice stop working as you scaleHow to know when it's time to start paying yourself a salary from your DPCThe real cost of DIY financial management (QuickBooks, Gusto, bookkeepers who don't explain anything)Why pricing strategy is one of the highest-leverage tools in your DPC financial toolkitHow a $5 membership price increase can meaningfully impact your bottom lineThe opportunity cost of doing your own financial administration vs. outsourcing to an expertWhat to look for when choosing a financial partner who actually understands DPCWhy private equity is coming for DPC and how strong financial foundations protect independent practicesOsprey CFO handles your DPC financial infrastructure so you can focus on patients and growth. Get your FREE Osprey + My DPC Story Financial Decision Tree HERE. DPC gives you autonomy. But autonomy without financial clarity becomes stress in disguise.Cash flow. Owner pay. Hiring timing. Tax strategy.These aren't afterthoughts. They're what protect your freedom long term.Book a free 30-minute strategy call with Osprey CFO to see how they can help you handle the financial infrastructure of your DPC so you can focus on patients Support the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOADBecome A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
A new Direct Primary Care location is opening in Zanesville, Ohio, offering families transparent, membership-based healthcare without insurance hassles. Discover how this model delivers unlimited provider access, longer appointments, and real savings for local families. LivingWell Health Center City: Pataskala Address: 222 South Township Road Website: https://livingwellpc.com/
Dr. Shannon Connolly, Dr. Shayne Poulin, and Dr. Amy Tressan found each other inside Melody Health, a mission-driven primary care practice embedded within Planned Parenthood, serving more than 13,000 patients across seven health centers in Orange County, California. Then, with the passage of HR 1 and the defunding of Planned Parenthood, they lost it, in a matter of weeks.They opened Open Arms Primary Care on March 1st 2026. Melody Health closed in December 2025.In this episode, Dr. Connolly and Dr. Poulin share what it looks like to join forces and rebuild from the ground up - in four months, on a shoestring budget, in one of the most expensive zip codes in the country - and why DPC was the only model that made sense for the community they refused to leave behind.This is one of the most timely and honest conversations we have had on this podcast.What we cover:Why Melody Health closed and what that loss felt like for their patients and their teamThe phone call between Dr. Poulin and Dr. Connolly that sparked Open ArmsHow three physician co-founders structured equal ownership from day oneFunding a DPC startup with GoFundMe, retirement savings, and a lot of creative sourcingFinding 1,300 square feet of primary care perfection three doors down from another DPCTrauma-informed care, reproductive health, and gender affirming care as DPC superpowersThe JEDI committee, DPC advocacy, and why professional societies need to catch upWhat it felt like to see their first patient walk through the doorDr. Shannon Connolly, Dr. Shayne Poulin, and Dr. Amy Tressan are the co-founders of Open Arms Primary Care in Orange County, California. They are currently accepting new patients!Learn more at mydpcstory.com.Osprey CFO handles your DPC financial infrastructure so you can focus on patients and growth. Get your FREE Osprey + My DPC Story Financial Decision Tree HERE. DPC gives you autonomy. But autonomy without financial clarity becomes stress in disguise.Cash flow. Owner pay. Hiring timing. Tax strategy.These aren't afterthoughts. They're what protect your freedom long term.Book a free 30-minute strategy call with Osprey CFO to see how they can help you handle the financial infrastructure of your DPC so you can focus on patients Earn money WHILE running your DPC! Join SERMO for FREE today!Support the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOADBecome A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
Can Direct Primary Care Save Families $1,000/Month? Dr. Josh Umbehr, Founder of Atlas.MD, shares the financial benefits of direct primary care to both patients and providers, how Atlas' insurance product works, and why he believes healthcare should be too inexpensive to insure in the first place. All that, plus the Flava of the Week about Nourish offerings free lab work. What's behind them now integrating lab work into their digital nutrition services, and is this a signal of where preventive care is headed? Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen/
Dr. Feneisha Franklin spent a decade in corporate medicine before finding her door: a Direct Primary Care practice seven minutes from her house, owned by a retiring physician ready to pass the torch. She left her employer on a Friday. She owned Living Well Family Medicine on Monday.In this episode, Dr. Franklin breaks down what it actually takes to purchase an existing DPC practice: profit and loss statements, Medicare opt-out windows, non-compete clauses, legacy pricing, quarterly taxes, and the financial advisory team she credits with keeping her afloat in year one.This is one of the most practical financial conversations we have had on this podcast.What we cover:Evaluating a practice before you buyThe Medicare opt-out problem nobody warned her aboutBuilding a financial team before you think you need onePricing for legacy vs. new patientsGrowing sustainably without burning out your staffWhat physician joy actually looks like on the other sideDr. Feneisha Franklin is the owner of Living Well Family Medicine in Lexington, South Carolina. She is currently accepting new patients.Learn more at mydpcstory.com.Osprey CFO handles your DPC financial infrastructure so you can focus on patients and growth. Get your FREE Osprey + My DPC Story Financial Decision Tree HERE. Register for Hint Summit 2026: 4/8–11/26. Get $75 off w/ MYDPCSTORY through March 31 at summit.hint.com. DPC gives you autonomy. But autonomy without financial clarity becomes stress in disguise.Cash flow. Owner pay. Hiring timing. Tax strategy.These aren't afterthoughts. They're what protect your freedom long term.Contact Osprey CFO to see how they can help you handle the financial infrastructure of your DPC so you can stay focused on patients and growing your practice. Earn money WHILE running your DPC! Join SERMO for FREE today!Support the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
This Day in Maine for Tuesday, March 10, 2026.
She was working 20 hours a day in fee-for-service medicine, and her supervisor was online at 3am too, totally unbothered. That's when Dr. Victoria Leventis-Shew knew nothing was ever going to change. So she changed everything.Dr. Leventis-Shew is the founder of Victory Family Medicine in Columbia, SC, a physician-only micropractice she built intentionally, organically, and on her own terms. In this episode she gets radically honest about the financial decisions that shaped her DPC journey: using retirement savings to launch, hiring a consulting firm she wasn't sure she needed, growing slowly without advertising, and why a financial advisor has been one of her most important investments.What we cover:The 3am moment that made leaving feel like survival, not a choiceUsing retirement funds to launch, and why she'd do it againThe real cost of hiring a consulting firm (and the complicated truth about whether it was worth it)Why slow, organic growth is a financial strategy, not a failureHow a micropractice under 130 patients can be sustainable and deeply fulfillingWhat financial sustainability actually looks like when you're a solo physician with no staff
In this episode of Wealthy Insights, we sit down with Dr. Lisha Taylor and Dr. Brittne Halford to talk about what it really takes to move from employed medicine to owning your own Direct Primary Care practice. Both physicians share their personal journeys of stepping away from traditional employment and into entrepreneurship, building practices that align with their values, finances, and family life. Dr. Taylor and Dr. Halford open up about the mindset shifts required to leave a steady paycheck, the financial realities of launching DPC, and the freedom that comes with ownership. They share practical insights on evaluating risk, planning startup costs, and redefining success beyond salary alone. If you are feeling burned out in employed medicine, considering Direct Primary Care, or simply curious about how physicians can build wealth while designing a life they actually enjoy, this episode offers honest guidance and real-world perspective. Key Topics Covered: 1. The shift from employment to ownership Why a "secure" job can still feel limiting—and what pushed them to consider DPC. 2. Financial realities of starting a DPC practice Startup costs, budgeting, income ramp-up, and what to expect in the early months. 3. Mindset and risk tolerance How to think through uncertainty without letting fear make the decision for you. 4. Lifestyle and family considerations Conversations at home, redefining balance, and building a practice that supports your life. 5. Wealth-building through ownership How DPC can create long-term financial flexibility and greater income control. 6. Lessons learned along the way What they would do differently, and advice for physicians considering the leap. Listener Takeaways: The mindset shifts required to move from employee to entrepreneur A realistic understanding of DPC startup finances How to evaluate whether ownership aligns with your goals The importance of aligning business decisions with family priorities Practical encouragement for physicians considering Direct Primary Care Connect with Us: Host: Dr. Disha Spath, The Frugal Physician Guests: Dr. Lisha Taylor & Dr. Brittne Halford, Hosts of Wealth Minded MD Podcast
Dr. Sandeep Palakti spent years at Harvard and Mayo Clinic before realizing the American healthcare system isn't designed to keep people healthy. In this conversation with cardiac surgeon Dr. Philip Ovadia, he breaks down why 70% of physicians are now employed by large health systems or insurers, how that institutional capture prevents real preventative care, and what both doctors and patients can do about it. He explains how he broke free to create Velocity Health, a national concierge practice focused on sleep, diet, exercise, and mental health through precise measurement and individualized strategies. For physicians feeling stuck and patients paying tens of thousands annually for insurance that doesn't deliver health, this conversation maps pathways to better options.BIG IDEAWhen the health insurer owns your doctor, your pharmacy, and your insurance, they have every incentive to drive costs up, reduce quality, and withhold care.Dr. Sandeep “Deep” Palakodeti, MD - Contact InfoBook: The Ultimate AssetWebsite: VelocityHealthClinic.comPodcast: https://velocityhealthclinic.com/the-ultimate-asset-podcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/velocityhealth/X: https://x.com/join_velocitySend Dr. Ovadia a Text Message. (If you want a response, you must include your contact information.) Dr. Ovadia cannot respond here. To contact his team, please send an email to team@ifixhearts.com Pre-Order Stay Off My Kitchen Table at Amazon. Like what you hear? Head over to IFixHearts.com/book to grab a copy of my book, Stay Off My Operating Table. Ready to go deeper? Talk to someone from my team at IFixHearts.com/talk.Stay Off My Operating Table on X: Dr. Ovadia: @iFixHearts Jack Heald: @JackHeald5 Learn more: Stay Off My Operating Table on Amazon Take Dr. Ovadia's metabolic health quiz: iFixHearts Dr. Ovadia's website: Ovadia Heart Health Jack Heald's website: CultYourBrand.com Theme Song : Rage AgainstWritten & Performed by Logan Gritton & Colin Gailey(c) 2016 Mercury Retro RecordingsAny use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from Dr. Philip Ovadia.
Welcome to another episode of the Sustainable Clinical Medicine Podcast! Dr. Dhaval Desai, an Atlanta-based internal medicine–pediatrics physician and former hospitalist director, shares his path from studying economics and Spanish and teaching high school to training abroad and leading a 30-physician hospitalist group at Emory St. Joseph's with a split clinical/administrative role. He describes how COVID-era pressures and a new baby contributed to burnout, sleep and mood issues, and seeking therapy and medication, later deepening his advocacy through a memoir and work with the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, noting about 400 U.S. physicians die by suicide annually. After being rejected for a chief wellbeing officer role and facing institutional limits on speaking publicly, he hired an executive coach and resigned, concluding loyalty can hold physicians back. He pivoted to direct primary care by purchasing a retiring physician's practice, citing autonomy, fewer patients, and reduced bureaucracy as key to preventing burnout. Here are 3 key takeaways from this episode: Physician Loyalty Can Become a Career Trap: Dr. Desai learned that his loyalty to his institution, patients, and colleagues was actually holding him back from making necessary career changes. His executive coach's blunt advice - "Nobody is going to give a shit if you leave tomorrow" - proved true when he resigned. Healthcare systems will move on, regardless of individual contributions, and physicians need to recognize when loyalty is preventing them from pursuing fulfillment. Institutional Control Compromises Professional Integrity: Large healthcare systems often restrict physicians' ability to speak freely and advocate for what they believe in, even on humanitarian issues. Dr. Desai's experience being called in after writing an op-ed about ICE raids in hospitals showed how "the firm" can force physicians to compromise their values. This institutional pressure, combined with being passed over for the Chief Wellbeing Officer position, revealed that systems may pigeonhole physicians regardless of their capabilities. Direct Primary Care Offers Control and Prevents Burnout: Transitioning to a Direct Primary Care (DPC) model allowed Dr. Desai to reclaim control over his schedule, patient panel size, and work-life balance. By eliminating insurance billing bureaucracy and middle management, he now spends 30-60 minutes per patient visit instead of documenting for 6 hours daily. This autonomy - combined with ongoing therapy and medication - has eliminated the "dread of going to work" and allows him to pursue advocacy, media, and other passions without institutional gatekeeping. Meet Dr. Dhaval Desai: Dr. Dhaval Desai is a dual board-certified Internal Medicine and Pediatrics physician who transitioned from hospital leadership into Direct Primary Care to practice medicine with deeper connection and purpose. He is the author of "Burning Out on the COVID Front Lines..." and host of the podcast SEEN IN FULL, where he explores burnout, identity, advocacy, and the human experience in modern work and life. Connect with Dr. Dhaval Densai:
Dr. Matthew Hitchcock of Hitchcock Medical Group in Chattanooga, TN has spent over a decade proving that direct primary care is not just better medicine, it's a smarter business. In this episode, he breaks down the layered economic model behind his DPC practice, in-house pharmacy, and cash-only imaging center.What we cover:Why primary care is a loss leader in the insurance world and how DPC fixes thatHealth insurance ≠ healthcare access (and why that distinction matters)How a fully licensed pharmacy and cash-only imaging center ($350 CT vs. $2,000+) create financial resilienceWhy PE and VC-backed primary care keeps failingHow DPC can actually scale — and what kills it when it tries
Episode Summary:After our episode about Zion HealthShare sparked more listener questions than almost any other episode this season, we brought together Preston Guthrie, Head of Sales at Zion HealthShare, and Camila Guerrero, Practice Manager at Brock Family Care in North Carolina and a Zion member herself, to answer everything.We discuss pre-existing conditions and the 24-month pre-membership rule, maternity care and the six-month waiting period, GLP-1 medications, how Zion pairs with a Direct Primary Care membership, the IUA and three-claim family protection rule, international emergency care benefits, state insurance mandates, and whether Zion is financially stable. If you or someone you know is looking for an affordable health insurance alternative, this episode is required listening.In This Episode:Preston Guthrie, Head of Sales at Zion HealthShare, spent over a decade in traditional insurance before joining the health sharing community. Camila Guerrero is Practice Manager at Brock Family Care, a DPC practice in North Carolina. She is a Zion member herself and guided her own maternity care through the program.Key Topics:Pre-existing conditions and the 24-month pre-membership window, maternity care after the six-month waiting period, GLP-1 and weight loss medication benefits, how the Essential Membership pairs with Direct Primary Care, the IUA and the three-claim family protection rule, emergency care benefits outside the United States, state individual mandate requirements, and real patient outcomes including cancer, surgery, dental claims, and end-of-life benefits.Resources:Zion HealthShare: zionhealthshare.org Previous episode with Ashton Casper and Camila Guerrero: LINK HERE My DPC Story is hosted by Dr. Maryal Concepcion, family physician and DPC owner in rural Northern California.Support the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
In this episode, Trey and Luke sit down with Dr. Eric Bricker and Joe Wilson of Frontier Direct Care to break down everything you need to know about Direct Primary Care — what it is, where it works, and why most brokers are leaving money on the table by ignoring it....
We're closing out February with Dr. Aisha Harris of Flint, Michigan, a board-certified family physician, community advocate, and the founder of Harris Family Health, the first Direct Primary Care clinic in her hometown. In this episode of My DPC Story, Dr. Harris shares how returning to Flint to open a DPC practice allowed her to practice medicine with purpose - addressing trust, environment, and health literacy upstream while creating real opportunities for prevention, especially around heart and metabolic health. Her journey weaves together entrepreneurship, advocacy, and deep community commitment, showing how Direct Primary Care offers physicians autonomy while strengthening the communities that raised them. We chose Dr. Harris for February because she embodies what it means to practice medicine rooted in service, ownership, and accountability, proving that sustainable, relationship-based care can thrive even in communities shaped by systemic barriers.Get a SmartHeart 12-lead EKG for your DPC with board-certified cardiologists available to help you at the press of a button.Learn more about Zion HealthShare and REGISTER for the LIVE WEBINAR on Feb 13th at 2pm PST. Earn money WHILE running your DPC! Join SERMO for FREE today! Brought to you by SmartHeart: get your copy of the 5-Day Mini Metabolic Health Reset to use with your patients during Heart Health month!Support the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
What if small businesses could offer better healthcare than big corporations—at a fraction of the cost? In this episode of Main Street Matters, Elaine Parker sits down with Dr. Chad Savage, founder of Choice Direct Care, to break down the fast-growing Direct Primary Care (DPC) movement and why it’s becoming a game-changer for entrepreneurs and working families. Dr. Savage explains why the traditional employer-based system is overloaded with bureaucracy and “middlemen,” driving up prices while shrinking the doctor-patient relationship. He walks through how DPC works as a simple monthly membership (often $49–$99/month) that includes unlimited primary care visits, longer appointments, and faster access—without the inflated costs and delays of the insurance-driven model. You’ll also hear real-world examples of how transparent, cash-based pricing can slash costs dramatically—plus how small business owners can pair DPC with catastrophic coverage to protect employees while lowering premiums. Elaine and Dr. Savage dive into how HSAs can support DPC membership, the role of ICHRA (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements) for employers, and why giving workers more control over healthcare dollars can improve affordability and outcomes. If you’re a small business owner tired of sky-high premiums—or an employee who wants better care without the runaround—this episode is your roadmap.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode Ava sits down with Dr. Eleanor Glass. Dr. Glass is a family medicine physician who, in addition to working at the VA and on faculty at UC, runs her own Direct Primary Care practice. From balancing a busy schedule to finding excitement in the ability to create one's own medical practice, Dr. Glass shares all about her journey to becoming a physician. Send a text
"My wife would come back to check on me late at night, asleep at the keyboard, and she would be like, 'Is he dead?' The burnout, what we call moral injury, is more real than anybody knows." - Will SteelmanThe American healthcare system is crushing its doctors. Faced with "assembly line" quotas of 25+ patients a day, hours of unpaid administrative work ("pajama time"), and a suicide rate higher than that of veterans, physicians are fleeing the profession in droves.My guest this week is Dr. Will Steelman, a board-certified internal medicine physician who lived through this crisis firsthand. After 12 years as a hospitalist, Dr. Steelman reached his breaking point during the pandemic and realized the only way to save his career, and his life, was to exit the system entirely.In this episode, we explore why Direct Primary Care (DPC) is the only viable path forward for the future of medicine. Will explains how DPC restores the doctor-patient relationship by reducing patient panels from 3,000 to 600, allowing for 90-minute visits, true price transparency, and a focus on root-cause resolution. We also discuss the clinical benefits of having time to care, including using ketogenic therapies to treat mental illness and reversing chronic metabolic disease, rather than just managing it with pills.If you want to understand why your doctor is exhausted, why your premiums are going up, and why DPC is the solution we can't afford to ignore, listen to this episode.Thank you to our 2026 sponsors!ParetoHealth: ParetoHealth empowers midsize employers with a long-term solution to reduce volatility and lower overall health benefits costs. Visit ParetoHealth.com to learn more.Samaritan Fund: A program that connects those who need help to the support they need. We are proud to offer the Samaritan Fund Program. Visit SamaritanFundProgram.com to learn more.Vālenz Health: We're Vālenz Health, your partner in improving health literacy, reducing plan spend, and delivering high-value healthcare. Visit ValenzHealth.com to learn more.Imagine360: Imagine360 helps self-funded employers save on healthcare with smarter health plans. Cut expenses by 20-30% with custom solutions. Contact us today at Imagine360.com.Chapters:(00:00:00) Intro: The Link Between Diet & Mental Clarity (00:04:18) The Road to Burnout: 12 Years as a Hospitalist (00:09:17) "Is He Dead?": The Reality of Physician Suicide & Moral Injury (00:11:08) The Way Forward: Concierge vs. Direct Primary Care (00:15:35) The Math of Failure: Why 2,500 Patients is Unsustainable (00:21:16) "Click Fatigue" and the Administrative Burden (00:23:58) Leaving the System: Launching Steelman Medical Group (00:32:06) Saving the Profession: Why DPC Offers Work-Life Balance (00:40:12) True Transparency: Why DPC Lab Costs Are Dropping (00:48:58) The Luxury of Time: Treating Mental Health with Ketogenic Diets (00:59:32) The Statin Controversy & Insulin ResistanceKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/
In this previously aired episode of My DPC Story, host Maryal Concepcion sits down with Dr. Jalan Burton, a Washington, DC/DMV–based pediatrician practicing at the intersection of healthcare policy and deeply relational care. As the founder of Healthy Home Pediatrics, Dr. Burton shares how Direct Primary Care allows her to deliver unrushed, home-based pediatric care in a policy-dense environment while protecting both physician autonomy and patient trust. Her story highlights values-driven medicine, proactive cardiovascular and metabolic health conversations for children, and the power of designing a practice that supports families and physician wellbeing. We chose Dr. Burton for February because her journey reflects intentional, equity-centered care at the crossroads of policy and practice and later this season, we'll be bringing you an update as her DPC story continues to evolve!Get a SmartHeart 12-lead EKG for your DPC with board-certified cardiologists available to help you at the press of a button.Learn more about Zion HealthShare and REGISTER for the LIVE WEBINAR on Feb 13th at 2pm PST. Earn money WHILE running your DPC! Join SERMO for FREE today! Brought to you by SmartHeart: get your copy of the 5-Day Mini Metabolic Health Reset to use with your patients during Heart Health month!Support the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
In this episode of My DPC Story, we're highlighting Dr. Adelola "Lola" Ashaye, a board-certified family and lifestyle medicine physician and the founder of InTouch Primary Care in the Sugar Land area of Texas. Practicing in one of the most complex healthcare markets in the country, Dr. Ashaye shares how Direct Primary Care protects physician autonomy while expanding access for patients, creating space for meaningful conversations around prevention, metabolic health, and long-term outcomes. Her journey, shaped by experiences with fragmented care, immigration barriers, and burnout in fee-for-service medicine, is a powerful reminder that physicians of color don't have to conform to broken systems to build sustainable, patient-centered practices. As part of our Heart Health Month focus, be sure to download your free copy of the 5-Day Metabolic Health Mini Reset brought to you by SmartHeart, a DPC-aligned tool designed to support preventive, relationship-based care and help patients engage with metabolic and cardiovascular health in a practical, non-overwhelming way.Get a SmartHeart 12-lead EKG for your DPC with board-certified cardiologists available to help you at the press of a button.Learn more about Zion HealthShare and REGISTER for the LIVE WEBINAR on Feb 13th at 2pm PST. Brought to you by SmartHeart: get your copy of the 5-Day Mini Metabolic Health Reset to use with your patients during Heart Health month! REGISTER for the upcoming LIVE WEBINAR Feb 13th 2pm PST about Zion HealthShare.Support the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
If you run a Direct Primary Care clinic, you've probably asked: What happens to my family if I can't work for months? In this episode, Zion HealthShare President Ashton Casper and DPC practice administrator Camilla Guerrero share how medical cost sharing works, what “coverage” can look like without insurance, and how Zion pairs with DPC. Have Questions? Ask your questions live? Join the Zion HealthShare webinar for the My DPC Story community on February 13th.✅ Register HERE - Feb 13th 2pm PST✅ Learn more about Zion HealthShare anytime at: zionhealthshare.orgSupport the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
In celebration of Black History Month and Heart Health Month, we're re-airing our powerful conversation with Dr. Gabrielle Williams, founder of Gateway Direct Health in Georgia. Dr. Williams shares her inspiring journey from severe burnout in fee-for-service medicine where she dreaded waking up each morning to discovering Direct Primary Care as her "second chance into medicine." As the first person in her family to attend college, she went on to become a board-certified family physician who now practices medicine on her own terms. In this episode, Dr. Williams candidly discusses the personal and spiritual growth required in that crucial first year of entrepreneurship, the importance of healing from healthcare trauma, and why her patients, even those with insurance, choose her practice for the irreplaceable value of time, trust, and a genuine doctor-patient relationship. Her story embodies the resilience and possibility that emerges when physicians of color build sustainable, community-rooted practices, and serves as both inspiration and practical guidance for anyone considering the DPC path.Learn how Zion HealthShare can pair with DPC to protect patients and physicians without returning to traditional insurance. Read more in the Toolkit, our DPC magazine, today. If hiring feels like one of the most intimidating parts of growing your DPC practice, read the Winter issue of The Toolkit, our DPC Magazine that includes an educational, step-by-step hiring guide from the Cooperative of American Physicians designed to replace guesswork with clarity. What do you want MORE of in your practice this year? Download the January worksheet HERE for free today!Support the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
Today... Andrew Beard, a former Marine and nurse practitioner, left corporate healthcare to open Montrose Direct Primary Care, offering personalized, accessible, and spiritually mindful care through a direct membership model. And later... The Montrose Home, Garden, and Business Expo is back this weekend for the first time since the pandemic—and it’s all about local pride. More than fifty vendors from the area will gather at Friendship Hall on the fairgrounds.Support the show: https://www.montrosepress.com/site/forms/subscription_services/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Most physicians are trained to manage what's in front of them.What we're rarely taught is how to step far enough back to ask whether the direction itself still makes sense.In this January Reset re-air, I'm bringing back my conversation with Dr. Neal Douglas, a family medicine physician at Heritage Family Medicine in Hood River, Oregon.Dr. Douglas shares openly about building a successful career that slowly drifted out of alignment with his life, his family, and his values. His story isn't about optimizing productivity — it's about reordering priorities and designing a practice that supports the life he wants to be present for.You'll hear how creating a clear priority list reshaped not just his work, but his sense of fulfillment and sustainability as a physician. This episode pairs especially well with the January worksheet reflections on career direction, energy, and long-term alignment.If you've been asking yourself whether your current path still fits, this conversation offers perspective without pressure.January Reset Invitation Download the free January worksheet, Is DPC Right for You?, and use it to name where you are on the ladder — burnout, curiosity, relief, or alignment.Get the FREE workbook to go along with our January RESET series HERE. Learn how Zion HealthShare can pair with DPC to protect patients and physicians without returning to traditional insurance. Read more in the Toolkit, our DPC magazine, today. If hiring feels like one of the most intimidating parts of growing your DPC practice, read the Winter issue of The Toolkit, our DPC Magazine that includes an educational, step-by-step hiring guide from the Cooperative of American Physicians designed to replace guesswork with clarity. What do you want MORE of in your practice this year? Download the January worksheet HERE for free today! Leave Maryal a voicemail @ https://mydpcstory.com/contactSupport the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
We're discussing The Compass of Connection: Using Moral Insight to Guide Patient-Centered Care! Faisel and Dan are joined by Dr. Peter Murphy, from Mountain View Direct Care.Our conversation revolves around defining what sets Direct Primary Care apart from other models, considering the moral injury of financial harm as part of patients' health, and forging a new path based in quality relationship- and value-based care.
Not all misalignment shows up as exhaustion.Sometimes medicine works - the protocols are correct, the outcomes are acceptable - and yet something essential feels missing.In this January Reset re-air, I'm revisiting my conversation with Dr. Meena Julapalli, a pediatric dermatologist whose work spans direct care, creativity, and healing.Dr. Julapalli speaks honestly about practicing inside systems that prioritize efficiency and algorithms, and what gets lost when time, presence, and relationship are squeezed out of care. Her story isn't about leaving medicine - it's about reclaiming it.You'll hear how creating space for meaning and connection changed the way she experiences her work, her patients, and herself as a physician. This conversation aligns deeply with the January Reset reflections around energy, sustainability, and patient relationships.If you've ever felt that your current version of medicine is technically sound but emotionally incomplete, this episode may land close to home.January Reset Invitation Use this episode alongside the free January worksheet, Is DPC Right for You? After listening, answer one question: Where do I want more presence or meaning in my work this year?Get the FREE workbook to go along with our January RESET series HERE. Learn how Zion HealthShare can pair with DPC to protect patients and physicians without returning to traditional insurance. Read more in the Toolkit, our DPC magazine, today. If hiring feels like one of the most intimidating parts of growing your DPC practice, read the Winter issue of The Toolkit, our DPC Magazine that includes an educational, step-by-step hiring guide from the Cooperative of American Physicians designed to replace guesswork with clarity. What do you want MORE of in your practice this year? Download the January worksheet HERE for free today! Leave Maryal a voicemail @ https://mydpcstory.com/contactSupport the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
At the start of a new year, many physicians don't feel burned out, they feel unsettled.In this January Reset re-air, I'm bringing back my conversation with Dr. Cindy Dafashy, a family medicine physician who opened her direct primary care practice directly out of residency.This episode isn't about how quickly she launched or whether her path should be copied. It's about the distinction she names so clearly between being clinically prepared and actually feeling ready.Dr. Dafashy reflects on learning medicine inside a culture designed primarily for physicians, then realizing that patients don't live inside that world at all. She shares how shifting away from medical language and toward patient-centered communication changed not just her practice, but her sense of alignment as a physician.You'll also hear her talk about boundaries and how she set expectations early, how she framed access without over-promising, and how she protected her energy before burnout ever took hold.This episode pairs closely with the free January reflection worksheet, Is DPC Right for You?, especially if you're navigating early-career uncertainty or wondering whether something that looks “right” on paper actually feels sustainable.As you listen, notice what resonates and what creates tension. Those reactions are the point.January Reset Invitation Download the free January worksheet, Is DPC Right for You?, and answer just one prompt after this episode. One sentence is enough.Get the FREE workbook to go along with our January RESET series HERE. Learn how Zion HealthShare can pair with DPC to protect patients and physicians without returning to traditional insurance. Read more in the Toolkit, our DPC magazine, today. If hiring feels like one of the most intimidating parts of growing your DPC practice, read the Winter issue of The Toolkit, our DPC Magazine that includes an educational, step-by-step hiring guide from the Cooperative of American Physicians designed to replace guesswork with clarity. What do you want MORE of in your practice this year? Download the January worksheet HERE for free today! Leave Maryal a voicemail @ https://mydpcstory.com/contactSupport the showGET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
This episode is a homecoming!!!As part of our January Reset Series, we're re-airing a powerful conversation with four physicians from three specialties who each share a one-year update on their Direct Primary Care journeys.In this episode, you'll hear from:• Dr. Christina Much and Dr. Jake Much (Family Medicine) founders of Defiant DPC who are sharing about growth beyond expectations and how they planned maternity leave without panic• Dr. Deepti Mundkur (Internal Medicine) will be reflecting on time, advocacy, mentorship, and designing a practice aligned with life• Dr. Lauren Hughes (Pediatrics & Lactation) will be discussing boundaries, parenting while practicing medicine, and building community-rooted careWhether you are in residency, early career, actively considering DPC, or already open and asking how do I protect my energy and build something sustainable, this episode is for you.These physicians aren't sharing finished stories - they're sharing living ones.And January is a reminder that it's okay to pause, reassess, and realign whether you're just beginning or years into practice.Take a breath.You're not behind.You're allowed to build something that lasts.What to Especially Listen For:• How growth sometimes comes faster than expected and how to respond without burning out• How maternity leave, parenting, and practice ownership can coexist• How advocacy becomes possible when time is no longer rationed• How workflows, boundaries, and systems continue to evolve after opening• How DPC allows doctors to practice medicine that matches their values and not just their training
This is a great episode to listen to and send to a Med Student or Resident you may know! In this episode of the My DPC Story Podcast, host Dr. Debbie Lupeika, Director of the UC Davis Network of Affiliated Family Medicine Residency Programs, moderates a graduate panel featuring leading family physicians sharing their diverse career journeys post-residency within the UC Davis Network of Family Medicine residencies. From rural practice, corrections medicine, FQHCs, and Direct Primary Care, guests Dr. Maryal Concepcion (who got to vacate the Host seat this time!), Dr. Amanda Mooneyham, Dr. Landin Hagge, Dr. David Araiza and Dr. Madhupreet Hans reveal how they found fulfillment, autonomy, and work-life balance by innovating within family medicine. Highlights include real-world advice on loan repayment options, building a Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice, overcoming rural healthcare challenges, setting up mobile and telemedicine clinics, and advocating for underserved populations. The panel also discusses practical strategies for negotiating contracts, maintaining career-long learning, and the importance of physician-led, independent practice models. Whether you're a resident, new grad, or considering nontraditional paths in family medicine, this episode is packed with firsthand insights on thriving in today's changing healthcare landscape.Gusto, the Payroll and HR Solution loved by so many DPCs (including Big Trees MD)! Earn $100 after running your first payroll! Get paid for your medical expertise with Sermo! Sign up for free and start earning today!Support the showVOTE FOR MY DPC STORY! Help My DPC Story and DPC get more visibility by voting for My DPC Story in the Doctor Podcast Awards (voting closes Dec 29th)! Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER! SPONSOR THE PODMy DPC Story VOICEMAIL! DPC SWAG!FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube
On this episode of American Potential, host David From welcomes back Dean Clancy, Senior Health Policy Fellow at Americans for Prosperity, to break down the major health care wins inside the One Big Beautiful Bill passed this summer. Dean explains how the bill expands access to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), allowing millions more Americans to save tax-free for health care. Even more exciting — HSA funds can now be used for Direct Primary Care (DPC) subscriptions and telehealth, giving families easier, more affordable access to their preferred doctors without insurance gatekeeping. Dean also highlights key reforms in Medicaid and Obamacare subsidies, what's still needed to deliver true hassle-free health care, and how AFP's Personal Option campaign continues to push for more freedom and affordability in the health system. If you want to understand how the new law impacts your wallet—and why it's a major victory for health care freedom—this is an episode you won't want to miss.
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