Well… sometimes you make a plan, and sometimes your patients make the plan for you.
We had wanted to launch our Direct Primary Care Plus a couple of weeks ago. We didn't. We're (still) waiting on pricing for lab bundles. We have a team, not just one provider. Everyone has had input. No one has the same schedule. The Thrive Journal is in editing phases. We thought it would be best to wait until all Ts were crossed and everything was in place.
But people had a different idea about waiting.
Next thing we knew... appointments were scheduled for new patient primary care appointments. 😟
So, rather than telling everyone to hold on, we decided to go with the flow.
Alive & Thriving Healthcare is officially expanding into Direct Primary Care Plus.
What is Direct Primary Care?
Using the AAFP (aafp.org) and Direct Care Foundation (directcare.org) to define DPC, it is where a provider charges monthly fees to patients that covers preventative care, PCP visits, etc. Insurance is not involved and therefore, visits are longer and pricing is transparent.
Doing a quick google search, a few things became apparent:
- Many DPC practices are solo provider
- It is not uncommon for the solo provider to be a Nurse Practitioner. (In Virginia, NP's can obtain autonomy after a few years. PAs are working on it.)
- Functional Medicine does well with a DPC model because many insurances do not adequately cover it.
- DPC practices are medicine based, obviously, and typically do not include aesthetics.
- DPC+ is something we made up. 😁
- Learn the rules.... and then break them.
- We have multiple providers as opposed to being a solo provider practice.
- ATH's Concept Creator is a NP with a doctorate and over 12 years as a full-time NP. We still feel it is extremely important to be a physician led team. Not just any type of physician... a Board Certified Family Physician... with actual patient care experience.
- We are keeping aesthetics in our model. It's essential. Having solid skin care is a part of healthcare... and let's be honest... mental health.
- Our nurses? Second to none.
- We do treatments in office. This includes IV and IM therapy. We follow USP 797 guidelines. Currently, all of our providers and nurses have Urgent Care and/or Emergency Room experience. We know how to treat you when you're sick.
- We prescribe to retail pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, etc) but will also use compounded medication when appropriate. Oh, and we do not upcharge on prescriptions. Instead, we take on an extra step so that our patients can benefit from clinic pricing.
- Yep, there's a Functional Medicine flavor to it. We take it another step and intertwine Functional Health into our DPC+ models.
- We offer Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy with pellets, not just patches, creams and pills.
- As a DO, Dr. Milliff is trained in and routinely performs Osteopathic Manipulation Therapy. What is it? Magic.
- ATH carries PCAskin, Elta MD and Thorne products. We give standard deep discounts to our members.
- Above all else, what sets us apart is.... The Vibe.
We've had many services set up and have been providing them for a few years now. Creating Primary Care that makes sense has been a chaaallleennnggeee. In addition to our services that anyone can partake in, we created a three-tiered membership DPC+. Here's a general breakdown:
Services
Pay-as-you-go care
Not everyone needs or wants a membership—and that's okay.
ATH Services is our pay-as-you-go option for people who want access to individual services without joining a membership.
This can include services such as IV therapy, aesthetics, OMT, hormone services and even Sick Visits. We do not offer Primary Care in our regular services.
This is healthcare when you need a specific service, without a membership commitment.
Thrive
Ongoing wellness & prevention
Thrive is for people who want to be more intentional about their health but aren't necessarily looking for Direct Primary Care.
This is the Membership we offer to people looking for medical weight loss or any prescription management. Thrive is also a great option for people who want to use ATH as their Primary Care but who are not into DPC.
It's about having a healthcare partner and a team you can turn to as you work toward feeling your best.
Thrive members receive access to member pricing on eligible labs and services, along with the benefits of being part of the ATH community.
Think of Thrive as your foundation for staying healthy and thriving.
Elevate
Personalized Primary Care
This is where Direct Primary Care comes in.
ATH Elevate is designed for people who want a more personal, proactive relationship with their primary care provider.
Rather than simply treating illness when it happens, we take time to understand your health history, goals, lifestyle and risk factors.
Your care can include:
- Preventive primary care
- Comprehensive health assessments
- Personalized health goals
- Appropriate laboratory evaluation
- Skincare and health
- Metabolic and cardiovascular health
- Hormone health
- Nutrition and lifestyle support
- Sleep and stress
- Movement and physical health
- Ongoing health management
And importantly, you have a healthcare team—not just a provider.
Our physicians, nurse practitioners and other healthcare professionals collaborate to help connect the dots.
Optimize
Advanced Health, Longevity & Performance
Optimize is for people who want to take an even deeper dive into their health.
This level is designed around a more comprehensive, data-informed approach to longevity, functional health and performance.
We can look more deeply at areas such as:
- Advanced cardiovascular and metabolic risk
- Hormone health
- Nutrition and supplementation
- Fitness, strength and recovery
- Sleep and stress
- Healthy aging
- Personalized health optimization
- More extensive health tracking and evaluation
Optimize isn't about ordering every test available or chasing numbers. It's about treating the whole person. It's about holding the person accountable and being their go-to healthy life partner.
DPC+ at ATH
We want to create a place where your primary care provider can understand what's happening with your metabolic health, your hormones, your movement, your skin, your nutrition and your overall goals—and where appropriate, collaborate with other members of the ATH team.
That's what Direct Primary Care Plus means to us.
We want to keep you healthy. We want to improve your health where we can. We want you to positively impact not just your longevity, but also your vitality.
We weren't ready for the launch... but LETTTT'S GOOOOOOO!💙
Primary care. Wellness. Prevention. Longevity. Aesthetics. Movement. Recovery. Vitality.
All connected.
All under one roof.
Alive & Thriving Healthcare.
Keeping you healthy… inside and out.
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