Direct Primary Care (DPC) practices prioritize patient-centered care and eliminate the complexities of insurance billing. However, educating potential patients and building employer relationships can be challenging. Hint Connect partners with benefits advisors and employers, providing access to a nationwide network of independent DPC clinics, simplifying growth and strengthening existing employer relationships.

Overnight Growth Without the Legwork Through Hint Connect

In 2023, Dr. Blake Hansen, founder of Simplified Health DPC, joined Hint Connect to expand his practice in northwest Arkansas. Despite the region's growing business population and significant outreach efforts, Dr. Hansen struggled to reach local employers.

"It is a little bit overwhelming and I’ve [reached out] individually, met with employers - it moves slow, they have a lot of questions about the process,” explains Dr. Hansen. However, after joining Hint Connect and hearing about a distributed employer that needed coverage in his area, Dr. Hansen started receiving notifications about new members from regional employers.

"It just happened overnight. Similar to how I receive retail member notifications, I began getting new members from a regional employer.”

Dr. Hansen noted that Hint Connect members were already well-informed about their DPC benefits. “They are proactive about their care. These HR departments do a good job educating on DPC benefits,” he shares.

“My experience has been seamless, and honestly, very beneficial to my growth. I'm not having to go out to market to these entities, and I'm getting new patients that are signing up.”

Dr. Blake Hansen
Simplified Health DPC

Passive Patient Growth

Dr. Kara Farley of Mid Cities Direct Primary Care in Grapevine, Texas, joined Hint Connect in summer 2023. She was already successful with employer partnerships, with nearly a quarter of her panel from employer sponsors. After discussing the Hint Connect process with the Hint team, she joined the network.

“Most of our employer groups are spread out with employees who live throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth bubble – we’re right in the middle, so we can service a broad territory, which made Hint Connect attractive,” explains Dr. Farley.

Dr. Farley views the partnership with Hint Connect as an easy way to passively grow her practice through employers she wouldn’t have reached otherwise - larger, geographically diverse businesses with local employees who likely wouldn't have found their way to her practice. The onboarding process and support have been positive, providing a steady stream of new patients over time. “I wasn’t really expecting a huge volume or influx - it’s not a huge amount of additional members all of the time,” Dr. Farley explains.

“I think sometimes it comes as a surprise, like, oh, we got 10 new patients. I wasn't expecting that… but it’s a great surprise!” says Dr. Kara Farley. 

Her experience with Hint Connect members differs from retail members. “Despite educating each member the same way, employer group patients use the practice less, more like a traditional doctor’s office,” shares Dr. Farley, highlighting the potential for DPC clinics.

Hint Connect is proving to be a valuable tool for DPC practices like Simplified Health DPC and Mid Cities DPC. By bridging the gap between DPC providers and employers, Hint Connect enables practices to focus on patient care while passively growing their panels with employer-sponsored patients. Leveraging the Hint Connect platform, DPC’s are better able to provide increased access and better care for employees across the nation.

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