Direct Primary Care at Grants Pass Family Medicine
January 2020
Stress is one of the biggest killers, and for most Americans, dealing with healthcare is very stressful, thus becoming a vicious cycle. We all pay for insurance with high deductibles because we know that if one thing goes massively wrong, we would be facing bankruptcy. So we pay high premiums and then avoid going to the doctor as much as possible because of the deductibles, increasing the odds of something major happening.
Dr. Donna Givens of Grants Pass Family Medicine (1837 Nebraska Ave.) wants to change all that. She believes that attention to the little things will make you healthier and less prone to disease.
“I have witnessed first hand how health insurance and healthcare were changing and decided there had to be better way for patients to access their doctors and get care for a transparent, affordable price,” Dr. Givens said. “So I transitioned my practice to the Direct Primary Care model in 2017 to bring positive change to healthcare delivery in the Rogue Valley.”
The Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a membership-based model that provides all primary care services at the clinic for one flat monthly, affordable fee. It cuts out the red tape of insurance billing and allows the physician to have more time to spend with the patient, providing more patient care instead of coding and billing.
“Patients enjoy longer visits, texting and emailing directly with the doctor, and being able to get in the same day for issues that previously would have meant an expensive visit to urgent care or the emergency room,” Dr. Givens said. “The clinic also stocks generic medications at wholesale prices for patients at their appointments, if needed.”
Lab tests are also done at the office at a dramatic discount. For example, a metabolic and cholesterol screening test is just $12.
“About 50% of our patients have no health insurance, and the other half are people with high deductible plans, health sharing plans, and Medicare,” Dr. Givens said. “Health insurance is always recommended for the bigger expenses that can arise, but ‘routine primary care’ does not have to be so costly. I’m seeing patients who have put off their health care for years due to cost, and we’re helping them get back on track with basic care like blood pressure control, diabetes and health screenings. They just couldn’t afford to see the doctor and now they can without breaking the bank.”
DPC is a grassroots movement by physicians all across the county to improve access to healthcare without having to wait for politicians in Washington to do something. Patients nationwide are switching to DPC practices, as there are now over 1000 of them across the country.
Dr. Givens’ practice quickly filled up, and she was recently joined by Dr. Tamara Powell, who began seeing patients at the clinic on January 2, 2020.
“This is the way we were taught in medical school to provide care of patients,” Dr. Powell said. “After serving this wonderful community for 21 years, I am looking forward to this change to an innovative method of providing family care.”
For more info and to make an appointment, call 541-476-3000. You can also see them at GrantsPassFamilyMedicine.com and on Facebook.