Direct primary care (DPC) has grown rapidly in recent years thanks to employer-sponsored memberships. The Employer Trends in DPC 2023 Report highlights the proportion of DPC memberships on the Hint platform as employer-sponsored rising from 21% in 2017 to 49% in 2022. As highlighted in our Trends in Employer Adoption of Direct Primary Care blog post, the Hint Health database contains rich information from over 6,000 employer sponsors.

Many employers may not realize the significant impact that health-related benefits have on employee recruitment and retention. AHIP’s 2023 Value of Employer-Provided Coverage report showed that 68% of people surveyed indicated that health coverage played an important part in recruitment, and 77% indicated that it played an important part in retention. In SHRM’s 2023 Employee Benefits report 89% of employees cited health-related benefits as the most essential employer benefit. Yet, only 55% of employees surveyed cited that they were satisfied with their health benefits. Clearly, there is a deficiency in the value of health benefits received, and an opportunity to do better. 

National health insurance has the worst net promoter score (NPS), which averages around 7, while direct primary care’s NPS score is well above 70 with many DPC practices in the Hint database seeing scores of above 80. Not only do patients have to verify insurance benefits with providers, but there are also often stipulations in plans such as deductibles and co-insurance, which may deter patients from seeking care to begin with. When patients do finally get to the doctor’s office, they are usually waiting for quite a bit of time to be seen and when they are seen by the doctor, visits are often 7 to 11 minutes, limiting the time to go over any medical issues patients have. With DPC, patients enjoy direct access to their healthcare provider including the ability to text, call, or email. Visits with a DPC clinician tend to be 30 minutes to an hour, permitting patients to address all of their medical issues and discuss preventative care routines.

The relationship factor in the standard fee-for-service insurance reimbursement model is missing between clinician and patient and direct primary care restores this relationship. A DPC membership is convenient as patients can access their healthcare provider via phone, text, video, and email. In this day and age, virtual access to healthcare is something consumers want and expect. In fact, according to AHIP’s survey, 68% of respondents indicated that they expect telehealth services to be a part of their health insurance coverage.

Employers and employees alike see the difference in adopting DPC as part of a health benefits plan. In Hint Health’s 2022 DPC Consumer Insights Survey, 81% of employed consumers stated that they would be willing to contribute to a DPC membership. Employees’ positive attitudes and experiences with DPC translate to improved opinions about employers, too. The Paladina Large/ Group Case Study of 2019 reported an 80% enhancement in employees’ opinions of their employers after having accessed DPC.

Employers and employees are delighted with DPC. Once employers begin offering DPC, they continue to as Hint’s data shows an average of 84% of employer sponsors renewing after the first year. The advantages of integrating DPC into healthcare benefits are seen within the first year and the results make offering it a no-brainer.

The type of businesses offering DPC as a benefit to their employees span every industry and prove the universal need for higher quality primary care, which can be achieved through a direct primary care membership. Thirty-one percent of employer sponsors on Hint work in industrial goods such as construction, manufacturing, transportation, and utilities. Twenty-seven percent operate in consumer goods and 25% in the public sector. Not only does DPC save employers in medical claims costs, but it also improves health outcomes and employee satisfaction. Learn more about the employers who are offering DPC as part of their health benefits package and why by downloading the 2023 Employer Trends in Direct Primary Care Report.

If you're a benefits advisor or broker who is ready to take the next steps towards changing the way employers and employees access healthcare by implementing DPC into your plans, visit connect.hint.com today.