So you've decided you’re going to open a direct primary care practice. Congratulations! That's a huge step. Everyone will ask you, “What is Direct Primary Care?” What will you tell your family, your friends, and your patients?
Why Explaining DPC Is Harder Than It Sounds
You’re so excited about leaving the dysfunctional fee-for-service world. It’s a big deal to offer same-day appointments, longer visits, affordable labs, and the chance to build real doctor-patient relationships. After years in such a frustrating system, DPC feels like a dream come true. You’ll want to tell everyone about it.
Some will immediately understand the value of DPC. Great! Those people will become your raving fans. Others don't see what the big deal is, saying “Why would I pay more when I already have insurance?” Just a warning, you’re going to encounter more naysayers than people who get it immediately. That's okay. DPC isn't for everyone, and they're not your people.
You know when your doctor rushes through your results in five minutes? At a DPC practice, we actually sit down and walk through it together.
Then there's a group in the middle who are frustrated with their current doctor. They hear all the features you're mentioning, but they're still thinking “What’s in it for me?”
Before you even get there, you need a simple, relatable way to explain it. If you word vomit about the greatness of DPC, you might confuse or even scare off your listener. People don’t sign up for things they don’t understand.
Think Gym Membership. Think Netflix.
Here's an analogy that I found helps people understand DPC pretty quickly. I tell people that DPC is sort of like a gym membership. You pay a monthly fee. Some months, if you’re sick, you come in a lot. Some months you don't come in at all. Either way, you know we're here for you when you need us.
Another analogy is saying DPC is like Netflix for primary care. You can watch as many shows as you want and it’s all the same monthly cost. With DPC, you come in as many times as needed per month without any additional charges outside of the monthly membership fee.
One flat monthly fee. Come in as much or as little as you need, just like your gym membership or Netflix plan.
Direct Primary Care is like a gym or Netflix membership just one simple monthly fee gives you reliable access to care whenever you need it.
Build Your DPC Elevator Pitch
Here’s a great tip from Dr. Shane Purcell and other docs at a DPC Alliance Mastermind. Develop your own “elevator pitch”, a short explanation you can give anyone, anywhere. The structure is simple. Start with "You know when..." and fill in something your patients complain about all the time.
Start with "you know when..."
Name a problem patients always complain about
Follow with your DPC solution
For example, “You know when you call your doctor and can't get an appointment for two weeks, but you're sick right now? At my practice, we have same-day or next-day appointments.” That's it. Short, simple, and relatable. You're just throwing out a little bait and seeing who bites. If they seem interested, toss them another crumb and mention one more problem that DPC solves. You want to get them telling you about the issues they have with the current system. Then you just keep riffing off the problems and giving them the DPC solutions.
Once you've figured out what you want to say, stand in front of a mirror and practice it. The more you do it, the more comfortable you'll get. Record yourself and watch it back with the sound off, then listen again without video. You won't love the way you sound at first, but you'll catch filler words and mannerisms you can start eliminating. A few smooth elevator pitches go a long way. The next time you're at a networking event, a kids' soccer game, or at church, you’ll be ready to confidently and naturally tell anyone about DPC.
My Go-To Pitch
This is one I use all the time: “You know when you go to your doctor, and you only get a few minutes with them? At my practice, every visit is 30 to 60 minutes long. We’ll have time to talk about your diabetes, blood pressure, joint pain, skin rash, AND to look at pictures of your new grandbaby (or dog, house, vacation, etc).”
No more jumbled words, no more over-explaining. With a little practice, talking about DPC will flow naturally.
Try it out and share your best elevator pitches in the comments below!
Starting your DPC practice soon? The Early Practice Plan gives you the systems, automations, and foundation to grow from day one, not six months too late.
Dr. Gonzalez was born in NYC, but grew up in Virginia. She graduated from the University of Virginia and Eastern Virginia Medical School before completing her Family Medicine residency and Geriatrics Fellowship in 2002 at USC in Columbia, SC. She worked in Morganton, NC for 5 years at Burke Primary Care. After that, she headed the Primary Care Department at A Woman's View for 13 years and taught part time at the Geriatrics Fellowship in Morganton. She appreciates the privilege of working with her patients to improve their health, independence, and quality of life. She is Board Certified in Family Medicine and has a Certificate of Added Qualification in Geriatrics.
