In honor of National DPC Day — November 1

Direct Primary Care (DPC) isn’t just changing how medicine is delivered—it’s redefining what healthcare can be.

By eliminating insurance middlemen and centering the doctor–patient relationship, DPC has shown the industry what happens when you put people before processes.

Here are ten lessons we have from the DPC movement, and how they’re reshaping the future of care.

1. Direct Primary Care Rebuilds Relationships

When physicians break free from fee-for-service, they actually get to know their patients. With smaller panels, longer visits, and fewer bureaucratic barriers, conversations go deeper, and care gets more personal, proving that healthcare works best when trust and time, not billing codes, set the pace.

2. More Time Means Better Care

 In DPC, 30–60 minute visits and same-day messages are the norm. That time allows for prevention, education, and partnership, vital aspects of care that rarely fit into a 10-minute slot. Giving more time to patients improves outcomes, satisfaction, and confidence.

3. Simplified Healthcare Payments Build Trust

A flat monthly fee removes insurance friction and restores financial transparency. Patients know exactly what they’re paying for, and physicians can invest in quality and access instead of paperwork, simplifying payment channels and building trust in the process.

4. Improved Access Transforms Patient Care

No waiting months to be seen. DPC offers same- or next-day appointments, direct texting, and proactive follow-up, ensuring patients can reach their doctor easily so they act sooner, avoid ER visits, and stay healthier.

5. Preventive Primary Care Saves Lives and Costs

Prevention comes first. With time to focus on chronic conditions, nutrition, and lifestyle habits, physicians can address small issues before they become major ones. By removing the pressure to see high patient volumes, DPC turns primary care into what it was always meant to be—a proactive partnership that keeps people healthy, not just a safety net when they’re sick. Focusing on prevention and early care ultimately saves lives and lowers costs.

6. Transparent Pricing Empowers Patients

Most DPC practices operate on a simple membership that covers nearly all primary care needs, with transparent pricing for labs or imaging. No surprises, no hidden fees. At Hint, our 2025 Employer Trends Report shows this model’s ripple effect at scale, with over half of all DPC memberships now employer-sponsored, cost clarity is proving to be a systemwide advantage that helps patients engage confidently in their care.

7. DPC Reduces Physician Burnout

DPC reduces burnout by removing the administrative grind. With fewer claims to chase and more autonomy, clinicians rediscover why they entered medicine in the first place, reminding us that a healthy healthcare system requires healthy, motivated clinicians.

8. DPC Networks Scale Personalized Care

Through Hint Connect, employers can contract once and access a vetted national network of independent DPC practices. This model preserves the personal touch while scaling access, showing how collaboration powered by technology and trust turns local innovation into national change.

9. DPC Is a Complete Primary Care Solution

DPC isn’t an add-on or perk; it’s complete primary care: prevention, acute, chronic, and care coordination under one roof. Employers, patients, and physicians alike are proving it can anchor an entire benefits ecosystem and serve as the foundation of a better system.

10. The DPC Movement Is Driving Healthcare Reform

At the heart of this movement is community. What started as a handful of physicians and practices has grown into a nationwide movement influencing how employers, policymakers, and communities think about healthcare. United by a shared mission to make healthcare better for everyone, each new clinic adds momentum to the idea that better care isn’t just possible, it’s already happening.

What It Means for the Future of Healthcare

• Patients gain access, understanding, and ownership of their health.
  
  
• Employers gain predictability and better outcomes, with DPC now making up over half of all memberships on the Hint platform.
  
  
• Clinicians gain sustainability, satisfaction, and the freedom to practice real medicine.
  
  

The DPC model isn’t theory; it’s evidence that when you align incentives around people instead of paperwork, everyone wins.

National DPC Day

On November 1, celebrate the thousands of clinicians and employers rewriting the rules of care. DPC has taught us that healthcare can be personal, affordable, and sustainable if we build it that way.