In Episode 89, Dr Roussel discusses texts, calls and emails between the doctor and patients in a DPC practice. DPC practices by their very nature can feel extremely liberating for both sides to no longer have to deal with the madness of fee-for-service, but at the same time this new found freedom can lead patients to wonder how best to communicate with the doctor? In his discussion Dr Roussel discusses the challenges of being open to patients’ calls, texts and emails for their medical needs while at the same time creating a healthy, sustainable practice that can best care for the needs of ever ..read more

In Episode 88, Dr Roussel discusses task management in a direct primary care practice. In particular, he elaborates on strategies to manage the large number tasks that are often required of DPC doctors. After a discussion on the key differences between DPC and fee-for-service when it comes to managing tasks, this episode focuses on how to work tasks into the work-flow of a practice to provide high-quality, high-attention primary care ..read more

In Episode 87, Dr Roussel discussed staffing in a DPC practice. In the episode, Dr Roussel reviews what kind of employees a direct primary care practice needs to provide high quality patient care. In particular, he compares DPC practices to traditional fee-for-service practices and reviews some of the key differences as well as particular pointers for hiring/staffing when it comes to a doctor who is looking to convert/start a DPC practice ..read more

In Episode 86, Dr Roussel discusses the issue of a DPC doctor’s schedule. In particular, he delves into the question of how DPC doctors should best manage their time now that no longer constrained by a per-visit quota. When more visits does not = more $, how does a doctor navigate the freedom of opportunity when it comes to setting one’s schedule with the demands of caring for one’s panel and running a sustainable business ..read more

In Episode 85, Dr Roussel interviews Dr Garrison Bliss, founder of Qliance Medical and regarded by many as the founder of Direct Primary Care. In the interview, recounts his experience working for Qliance Medical while the company participated in a Medicaid initiative to provide comprehensive primary care to Medicaid beneficiaries, an initiative which failed in terms of fiscal sustainability. Dr Bliss further discusses his perspective on the similarities and differences between that initiative and the Primary Care First initiative proposed by CMS ..read more

In Episode 84, Dr Roussel interviews Jay Keese of the Direct Primary Care Coalition about the new Primary Care First Initiative announced by CMS earlier this year. In the interview they discuss the background of the initiative in terms of Medicare’s goal to engage primary care doctors as well as the aims of the program based on his extensive discussions with the agency throughout the course of the initiative’s development ..read more

In Episode 83, Dr Roussel discusses the CMS Primary Care First Initiative and how it could or could not work with his own primary care practice. In particular, he further elaborates on some potential challenges of incorporating a value based initiative into an existing DPC practice ..read more

In Episode 82, Dr Roussel discusses the Primary Care First Initiative, a new alternative payment model introduced by Medicare to promote value and reduce cost in healthcare. In the episode, Dr Roussel gives an overview of the PCF Initiative before delving into the nuts and bolts of what this model is about, how it is similar and different to Medicare fee-for-service and how it may affect DPC practices ..read more

In Episode 81 Dr Roussel discusses how much it costs to start a direct primary care practice from scratch. In particular he not only delves into the start up expenses needed to start a practice but also goes through a hypothetical scenario of funds needed to keep a practice afloat until it breaks even ..read more

In Episode 80, Dr Roussel interviews Bethany Burk, Quality Specialist at the AAFP, and Amy Mechley, DPC Doctor  in Ohio, about the 2019 DPC Summit. In the interview they not only discuss the details of the summit but the focus of this year’s summit compared to previous ones and the role of the summit in the context of the growing DPC movement ..read more