My DPC Story

Hosted by Maryal Concepcion, MD

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Sep 2026

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As the Direct Primary Care and Direct Care models grow, many physicians are providing care to patients in different ways. This podcast is to introduce you to some of those folks and to hear their stories. Go ahead, get a little inspired. Heck, jump in and join the movement! Visit us online at mydpcstory.com and JOIN our PATREON where you can find our EXCLUSIVE PODCAST FEED of extended interview content including updates on former guests!

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September 27, 2026Episode 28625 min

Medicare Opt-Out for DPC Doctors: AAFP Resolution 504 Explained with Dr. Shannon Connolly

Under current Medicare rules, a physician who opts out of Medicare for their DPC practice can't bill Medicare anywhere else. That means no hospitalist shifts, no SNF work and no hospice. AAFP Resolution 504, introduced by the New Mexico chapter, asks the AAFP to advocate for a partial opt-out by practice setting. The Congress of Delegates votes on it in October. Dr. Shannon Connolly is co-owner of Open Arms Direct Primary Care in Southern California, a past CAFP president and a CAFP delegate to the AAFP. She joins Maryal to explain what the resolution says and why every DPC doctor should pay attention, whether or not you're an AAFP member. In this episode: Why DPC is at a tipping point, with DPC doctors now more than an estimated 11% of AAFP membership How the "all-in or all-out" opt-out rule makes DPC doctors choose between their practice and their hospital, SNF or hospice roles, and why that reduces access for patients What happens if Resolution 504 passes: from the Congress of Delegates to a commission, the board and the AAFP policy compendium Why wording matters, including the "one employment setting" language and why practice owners need a say in it How to start advocating even if you're not a health policy expert Using the AAFP, the DPC Coalition and your state chapter together Dr. Connolly's call to action: advocacy is an investment in the environment your business depends on Resources: Resolution 504 and background on the My DPC Story blog (no AAFP login needed): AAFP's July 2026 letter for the record on direct contracting: LINK Our earlier episode on Medicare opt-out with Dr. Phil Eskew: LINK DPC Coalition : dpcare.org Note: The DPC Alliance does not engage in policy as the DPC Coalition does. Have thoughts on Resolution 504? Leave a voicemail at mydpcstory.com/contact . As chair of the AAFP Direct Primary Care Member Interest Group, Maryal will bring your comments to the AAFP. Want more Medicare and DPC policy updates? Sign up for the My DPC Story newsletter at mydpcstory.com so you're the first to know when the next Toolkit Magazine drops. This episode is not sponsored by the AAFP. Follow @mydpcstory and find free resources, the Physician Owner's Planner and more at mydpcstory.com. Get $250 off registration at HLTH with code H26MYDPCSTORY - and join Maryal at Healthcare's #1 Innovation Event. Las Vegas Nov 15th-18th. Support the show GET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER ! SPONSOR THE POD My DPC Story VOICEMAIL ! DPC SWAG! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube

September 23, 2026Episode 2853 min

She Asked Us to Convince Her. Challenge Accepted.

Today a DPC physician in Iowa, 25 months into her DPC practice, emailed us with three decisions she's weighing, and one challenge: "If there are still spots, convince me to come." Challenge accepted. In this mini My DPC Story episode, Drs. Clodagh Ryan and host Maryal Concepcion answer her directly and walk through how the Illinois DPC Summit (open to DPC docs in ALL STATES!) meets each of the three things she's actually asking: "Help me look at the books." Friday morning's session, The Business You Have Never Run — Dr. Joel Schumacher and Dr. Clodagh Ryan open their real numbers in front of the room, not a pretty presentation of averages. Then Saturday, the whole room builds a cash rate sheet together including labs, imaging, dispensing. Bring YOUR numbers and leave seeing your practice more clearly! "Close the panel or grow?" Saturday's growth clinic. You bring the decision that's stalling you and the room works it with you! There are no formal lectures with slides. ZERO. You sit with physicians who capped, who grew, who did one and then the other, and you get to ask them why. "Buy or keep renting?" Not a session title but exactly what the open breakouts are for. Maryal went from telemedicine home visits, to renting, to a lease-to-own she took over in 10 months. 40 physicians. That's the cap. Small groups, a speaker at every table, dinner Friday night at Topgolf. You're not sitting in a row watching someone present at you. Refreshingly, you're talking, for two days, with fellow DPC Physicians who've already made the decisions you're weighing right now. To the doctor in Iowa: thank you for writing. 25 months of DPC is no easy feat, and you're right at the decisions that shape the next 10 years. Registration closes September 25. Go to caradirectcare.com/summit to grab one of the last seats. To our DPC colleague in Iowa, we hope to see you in IL! Support the show GET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER ! SPONSOR THE POD My DPC Story VOICEMAIL ! DPC SWAG! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube

September 20, 2026Episode 28452 min

Dueling Pianos to Direct Primary Care: Dr. Brian Juan on Opening Metronome Family Medicine at Age 50

Dr. Brian Juan toured with rock bands and played dueling piano bars for more than a decade before he became a family doctor. Three months into Metronome Family Medicine, his solo Direct Primary Care practice in Longmont, Colorado, he talks about what it actually took to make the leap. Dr. Brian Juan spent most of his 20s and 30s on the road, first touring with rock and jam bands, then playing dueling pianos in bars around Boulder and Denver. His dad was a Filipino immigrant physician who ran a small practice out of the family's basement in rural New Jersey, so medicine was always somewhere in the background. It wasn't until a bar owner called him one day in 2007 and told him not to bother coming in, because they were putting in a mechanical bull instead of pianos, that he actually went back to school. He was 33. In this episode, host Dr. Maryal Concepcion catches up with Dr. Juan three months into running Metronome Family Medicine, his solo Direct Primary Care practice in Longmont, Colorado, built around midlife vitality and longevity. They get into what actually kept him at his corporate job for nine years, and it wasn't inertia, it was real financial fear. They cover the savings buckets system that finally got him to leave, the pro forma he built in one night with another DPC physician, and how his years as his old clinic's go-to guy for AI documentation tools are shaping the practice he's building now. And yes, they get into the music too. In this episode: Growing up inside a Filipino immigrant physician's basement practice in rural New Jersey, throat swabs, wart removals, the whole deal Choosing a band over med school when "doctor" was basically the only acceptable answer growing up A decade-plus on the road, rock and jam bands in his 20s, then years as a dueling pianist around Boulder and Denver The 2007 phone call that ended his music career, when the bar replaced the pianos with a mechanical bull Going back to school at 33, starting with intro chemistry, then medical school at the University of Colorado The student debt, foreclosure, and bankruptcy that shaped every decision that came after Nine years in corporate medicine and the real reason he stayed What finally made leaving possible: a financial planner and a savings buckets system Building the pro forma that got him a small business loan he still hasn't touched Running 500 AI scribe notes in a pilot that asked for ten, and what that taught him about his own tech stack 90-minute new patient visits, InBody body composition scans, and relearning how to take a manual blood pressure Precepting medical students in a Direct Primary Care clinic through CU's Longitudinal Integrated Curriculum The boundaries that keep it sustainable: no calls after 5pm, weekly hikes with his wife, actually writing music again His 25-year collaboration with Colorado Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bluesman Otis Taylor, and why he still plays with Docs That Rock Get $250 off registration at HLTH with code H26MYDPCSTORY - and join Maryal at Healthcare's #1 Innovation Event. Las Vegas Nov 15th-18th. Get the DPC Pricing Calculator sponsored by Goodman CPA HERE Support the show GET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER ! SPONSOR THE POD My DPC Story VOICEMAIL ! DPC SWAG! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube

September 16, 2026Episode 28134 min

What Should a DPC Physician Pay Themselves? 10 Numbers Every Direct Primary Care Owner Must Know with Nate Goodman, CPA

What should a direct primary care physician actually pay themselves? On this episode of My DPC Story, Dr. Maryal Concepcion sits down with Nate Goodman, CPA, founder of Goodman CPA , the accounting firm that works exclusively with direct primary care and direct specialty care practices. Nate is also a DPC patient. His family's experience with direct primary care in the Black Mountains of North Carolina is why his firm stopped taking non-direct care clients in 2024. Together they walk through 10 questions, each with a real number attached, that every DPC owner should be able to answer. In this episode: How to set a DPC membership rate using your household budget and local census income data Why most physician owners are 30 to 50 percent underpriced once discounts and free memberships are counted Where an enrollment fee should sit (one to two months of membership) and what it funds The profit margin to target with employees (about 30 percent) versus a solo micro practice with no payroll (up to 70 percent) How many months of cash to hold before raising your own pay The Profit First method for DPC: 20 percent to owner's pay and 15 percent to taxes from day one What has to be true in your numbers before hiring a second physician, and the marketing signal most owners miss The true loaded cost of a hire (1.25 to 1.4 times base salary) What a normal annual termination rate looks like and when churn means something is wrong LLC versus S corp: the 15.3 percent self-employment tax and where the break-even point sits Year-end tax moves to make before December, including the 401(k) setup deadline Free calculator: Nate and the My DPC Story team built a free DPC financial calculator so you can run your own membership pricing, enrollment fee, owner pay, and hiring numbers. Get it at mydpcstory.com. Listener offer: My DPC Story listeners get 25 percent off onboarding fees for Goodman CPA's full services, including tax advisory and fractional monthly accounting. Use the links at mydpcstory.com. Ways to work with Goodman CPA : The DPC Circle community with monthly live Q&A ($10/month) Launch Pad for physicians opening a new practice ($2,500) Fractional accounting and payroll team (starting around $1,250/month) This episode is sponsored by Goodman CPA. Nothing here is legal or tax advice. Talk with your own CPA about your practice. Leave a voice message at mydpcstory.com/contact and you might hear your question answered on a future episode. Follow My DPC Story on social media and find The Toolkit Magazine, free resources, and The Physician Owner's Planner at mydpcstory.com . Support the show GET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER ! SPONSOR THE POD My DPC Story VOICEMAIL ! DPC SWAG! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube

September 13, 2026Episode 28332 min

Growing a Rural DPC Practice in Year 8: How Dr. Klaucke Built Patient Trust, Avoided Burnout, and Scaled Team-Driven Care

Dr. Jillian Klaucke, MD, FAWM. Board-certified family physician at Sandpoint Premier Direct Primary Care, Idaho. Wilderness medicine fellow. Eight years into Direct Primary Care, Dr. Klaucke shares what actually works running a rural family medicine practice without insurance. Her practice runs on three pillars: teamwork, accountability, and patient safety. Teamwork means working with patients as partners. When imaging is needed, someone follows up to confirm it happened. Accountability means closing every loop: a weekend text gets a Monday check-in call. A referral goes out? Her staff confirms scheduling. Care management is where rural DPC shines, loaning crutches, sourcing equipment for Medicaid patients, walking alongside people through the whole process. This work can't be billed to insurance. It's exactly why patients choose DPC. After eight years, Dr. Klaucke has real data on after-hours access. She gets three to four calls or texts per weekend. Most are appropriate and time-sensitive. Patients don't abuse the privilege because they trust her. The relationship is the whole point. Managing a practice while seeing a full panel requires strategy. She leans on her office manager, partners with reliable vendors, and divides big tasks with her partner. The risk isn't systems on autopilot—it's neglecting to monitor them. She checks in regularly on vendor performance and catches cost creep before it happens. Many patients come to DPC after healthcare trauma. Dismissal. Delays. Lost in the system. Dr. Klaucke rebuilds trust by listening and keeping patients from slipping through cracks. This emotional healing matters as much as the medicine. Trust changes how you practice: instead of firefighting, you do prevention. Cardio IQ testing. Risk stratification. Lifestyle conversations. You have time to help people see grandkids born, kids graduate. Residents and early-career physicians ask Dr. Klaucke about DPC. She advises doctors in other states considering it. She tells them the truth: you need time in the trenches first, seeing volume and learning triage. Then DPC makes sense. In DPC, you collaborate with colleagues, check rashes together, call about differential diagnoses. Once you see that, you can't unsee how dysfunctional big systems are. Dr. Klaucke's grandfather pioneered rural medical education in the 1960s-70s. She wonders what he'd think of her now, practicing the kind of medicine he believed in, through a model that protects it from the insurance system. She thinks he'd be proud. And he'd probably be right about what matters: teamwork, accountability, showing up for patients. This is what Direct Primary Care looks like when given time to grow. Resources: Sandpoint Premier DPC: sandpointdpc.com | (208) 263-3091 | My DPC Story: mydpcstory.com Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Get $250 off registration at HLTH with code H26MYDPCSTORY - and join Maryal at Healthcare's #1 Innovation Event. Las Vegas Nov 15th-18th. Support the show GET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER ! SPONSOR THE POD My DPC Story VOICEMAIL ! DPC SWAG! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube

September 6, 2026Episode 28259 min

From GameStop to DPC Owner: Dr. Sarai Ambert-Pompey on Telehealth, EHR Vetting & Trust-Based Care

Dr. Sarai Ambert-Pompey opened Libélula Primary Care in Boise, Idaho. "Libélula" is Spanish for dragonfly, chosen for transformation. One year in, she joins Dr. Maryal Concepcion to talk about what changed when she left the VA for Direct Primary Care. Her path is unconventional: CompUSA and GameStop, Sony PlayStation reviewer training, oncology research at OHSU, then internal medicine residency in Boise. At the VA she joined a Primary Care Center of Excellence and helped launch the Boise Clinical Resource Hub, delivering clinic-to-clinic telehealth to rural sites across the Northwest, then trained physicians in telemedicine through the Ada County Medical Society during the pandemic. In this episode: Why time is the intervention - patients arrive never having been told their A1C goal, their blood pressure goal, or what their medications are for. Longer visits keep high ER utilizers out of the ER. Culturally responsive care in Idaho - Boise is predominantly white, but farming communities and employers like Micron bring diversity the traditional system was never built to serve. Healthcare trauma can take several visits to overcome before a patient consents to a blood draw. Telehealth done right - her top three: screen whether the visit is appropriate, build an emergency protocol and know your state's consent law, and actually perform a physical exam on video. Most clinicians skip that last one. How to vet an EHR - test customer service response time first, ask about interoperability, run a full patient walkthrough instead of the salesperson's highlight reel, get pricing broken out line by line, ask how an AI scribe stores data, and watch for 12-month contracts. Community as marketing - she launched a Walk with a Doc chapter before the clinic opened. Chamber involvement, immigration medical exams, and one paid social promo that returned its investment in a week. Leaving the system - 15 pounds lost, sleep restored, weekends back. "I tell anyone who will listen: I wish I had done it earlier." Mentioned: IN -PERSON DPC SUMMIT COMING IN OCT 2026! Illinois DPC Summit, first week of October, open to out-of-state physicians - register at caradirectcare.com/summit · Walk with a Doc · Latino Conservation Week · Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Free DPC startup checklist, the Physician Owner's Planner, and the DPC Toolkit Magazine: mydpcstory.com Leave a voice message for the show: mydpcstory.com/contact Follow @mydpcstory · Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts Get $250 off registration at HLTH with code H26MYDPCSTORY - and join Maryal at Healthcare's #1 Innovation Event. Las Vegas Nov 15th-18th. Get the DPC Pricing Calculator sponsored by Goodman CPA HERE Support the show GET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER ! SPONSOR THE POD My DPC Story VOICEMAIL ! DPC SWAG! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube

August 30, 2026Episode 28126 min

How to Choose an EHR for Your DPC: What I Learned Switching After Almost 5 Years

One month shy of five years. That is how long Big Trees MD ran on the electronic health record it opened with, and this month, that ended. Not because Dr. Maryal Concepcion went looking for something shinier, but because the terms under which her patients' data lived changed, and she could not accept them. In this solo episode, Dr. Concepcion documents the switch in real time from her rural Direct Primary Care practice in Arnold, California, which she owns with her husband, Dr. Jeremiah Fillo, and runs with a fully virtual team. No vendor names, on purpose. The names change. The framework does not. Built from The Toolkit's Battle of the EHRs issue, where over 200 DPC EHR users shared what they use and why, this episode walks through how to choose an electronic health record that grows with your practice instead of boxing you in: Why an EHR is the memory of your practice, and why the DPC version of this decision is nothing like the fee-for-service version The 10 categories to score every EHR on, from membership billing and charting speed to support quality and scalability The 5 questions to ask before you switch, starting with "what problem am I really trying to solve?" How to run a demo on your terms: build a fake patient, count clicks out loud, ask about migration before features, and ask the question nobody asks, which is "how do I leave you?" Why you should research who owns the EHR company, especially as private equity and venture capital creep into Direct Primary Care Running the real math: subscription, add-ons, switching costs, and exit costs over a three year horizon, plus what an hour of your life is actually worth The hidden costs no spreadsheet captures: patient trust, the emotional weight of change, and the 90 day post-switch reality check Things have changed since the Summer 2025 issue published, and the second Battle of the EHRs opens for voting in Q1. The only way to vote is through the My DPC Story newsletter, so sign up at mydpcstory.com. FREE from The Toolkit at mydpcstory.com: How to Interview Electronic Health Records comparison worksheet Patient handout on choosing healthcare vs. health insurance (perfect for open enrollment season) The Lean Startup Business Plan The First Year Roadmap Every issue of The Toolkit, including the new Battle of the Support Stack Follow the full switch in real time: demos, migration answers, the four-bucket spreadsheet, and the second guesses, all inside the My DPC Story Patreon community . Leave a voice message with your question, challenge, or win at mydpcstory.com/contact and you might hear it on a future episode. If this episode helped you, a five star review on Apple Podcasts helps other physicians find these stories when they need them most. Get $250 off registration at HLTH with code H26MYDPCSTORY - and join Maryal at Healthcare's #1 Innovation Event. Las Vegas Nov 15th-18th. Support the show GET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER ! SPONSOR THE POD My DPC Story VOICEMAIL ! DPC SWAG! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube

August 23, 2026Episode 28049 min

How to Start a State DPC Alliance: Direct Primary Care in New York with Dr. Laura Petrescu

When Dr. Laura Petrescu opened Athena Direct Primary Care & Lifestyle Medicine, she was the only Direct Primary Care physician in the Rochester, NY metropolitan area. Health system leadership thought she was out of her mind. Colleagues told her nobody would pay a membership on top of insurance. The advice everywhere was the same: New York is too restrictive, and DPC will not work here. Today there are seven or eight DPC practices in the Rochester area, and Dr. Petrescu has founded the New York State Direct Care Physicians Alliance with board members from Buffalo, Syracuse, Hudson Valley, and New York City. In this episode of My DPC Story, she and Dr. Maryal Concepcion get specific about the mechanics most physicians never hear. In this episode: Why she filed as a 501(c)(6) business league instead of a 501(c)(3), and why the charitable designation would have blocked advocacy entirely What the state and IRS filings actually cost, and where the paperwork gets returned How reading her contract first led to her health system releasing her from a 10-mile non-compete radius How to build a board representing rural, metropolitan, and downstate practices Why eight busy physician owners vote on motions by email instead of scheduling Zoom calls What New York's lab restrictions mean in practice, and why they are the alliance's top legislative priority How California organized, from monthly meetings that fizzled to a state summit with 80 physicians About the guest: Dr. Laura Petrescu is triple board certified in internal medicine, lifestyle medicine, and menopause medicine, with 25 years in practice. Originally trained as a surgeon in Romania, she is founding president of the New York State Direct Care Physicians Alliance. Links: New York State Direct Care Physicians Alliance: nysdirectcare.com California DPC: calidpc.com Legal question for My DPC Story State by State with Dr. Phil Eskew? Leave a voicemail at mydpcstory.com/contact Organizing in your state? Leave a voicemail there too so we can highlight your group Free startup checklist, The Physician Owner's Planner, The Toolkit Magazine, and every episode: mydpcstory.com Follow @mydpcstory Upcoming: Illinois DPC Summit, October 2 to 3, NIU Naperville. California DPC Summit, June 2027, registration open. caradirectcare.com/summit Get $250 off registration at HLTH with code H26MYDPCSTORY - and join Maryal at Healthcare's #1 Innovation Event. Las Vegas Nov 15th-18th. Get the DPC Pricing Calculator sponsored by Goodman CPA HERE Support the show GET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER ! SPONSOR THE POD My DPC Story VOICEMAIL ! DPC SWAG! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube

August 16, 2026Episode 2791 hr 13 min

DPC and HSAs: The $150 Rule and How to Opt Out of Medicare | Dr. Phil Eskew

Direct Primary Care no longer disqualifies patients from HSA eligibility. As of January 1, 2026, DPC membership fees are a qualified HSA expense at or below $150 per month for one person and $300 for a family. Above $150 you are not in violation. You are in the same gray zone DPC lived in for a decade, and the tax position belongs to the patient and their accountant, not to you. Dr. Phil Eskew (DO, JD, MBA) of DPC Frontier joins Dr. Maryal Concepcion to break down what changed and what it means for your practice, then walks through the Medicare opt-out calendar most physicians discover too late. KEY NUMBERS AND DATES $150/month per person, $300 family. Effective January 1, 2026. Opt-outs take effect only on January 1, April 1, July 1, October 1. Affidavit must be filed at least 30 days before the effective date. File by roughly December 1, 2026 to be opted out January 1, 2027. 90-day reversal window, but you must refund every membership dollar collected. QUESTIONS ANSWERED Can patients use an HSA to pay for direct primary care? Yes, as of January 2026. Both old IRS objections were fixed: whether the fee is a medical expense, and whether membership disqualifies HSA contributions. Should I put "HSA eligible" on my website? No. Write "We accept HSA cards." Promising eligibility in your marketing or agreement takes on a tax position on your patient's behalf. How do I get under $150 without losing revenue? Enrollment fees are not compensation for care. Blood draws, injections, EKGs, and dispensed medications can price separately. What does the rule exclude? Prescription drugs other than vaccines, and lab services not typically done in an ambulatory primary care setting. If I opt out, can I still order labs and referrals? Yes. Opting out is not disenrollment. You stay credentialed and Medicare pays for labs, imaging, referrals, DME, and prescriptions you order. Where can I still work while opted out? VA, Indian Health Service, corrections, and hospice administrative work. Precepting usually requires participation. TRICARE requires Medicare participation. Medicaid uses ORP/OPR status, prohibited in Kentucky and Colorado. Does opt-out apply to Medicare Advantage? Yes. Opt-out applies to all Medicare programs nationwide. You cannot opt out selectively. MENTIONED DPC Frontier · McCarran-Ferguson Act (1945) · ACA primary care carve-out · bronze and catastrophic plans as HSA-compatible · capacity vs. competency · durable power of attorney · prior authorization escalation strategy HAVE A QUESTION? WE ANSWER THEM ON AIR. Leave a voicemail at mydpcstory.com/contact with your name, state, and question. NEXT EPISODE: ILLINOIS , timed to the Illinois DPC Summit, October 2 and 3, NIU Naperville. Subscribe to the My DPC Story newsletter at mydpcstory.com to know when it drops. Educational only. Not legal or tax advice. Dr. Eskew is not your attorney. Get $250 off registration at HLTH with code H26MYDPCSTORY - and join Maryal at Healthcare's #1 Innovation Event. Las Vegas Nov 15th-18th. Get the DPC Pricing Calculator sponsored by Goodman CPA HERE Support the show GET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER ! SPONSOR THE POD My DPC Story VOICEMAIL ! DPC SWAG! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube

August 9, 2026Episode 2781 hr 6 min

How to Grow DPC With Employers Without Losing Autonomy | Dr. Kyle Rickner, Primary Health Partners

Dr. Kyle Rickner heard about Direct Primary Care in a side room at the AAFP National Conference in October 2014 and committed to it 50 minutes later. Today Primary Health Partners cares for employee lives in 30 states, and it started with a patient named Jason who owned a 22 person company and handed Dr. Rickner a check covering every employee for a full year, six weeks after opening. In this episode, Dr. Rickner talks with Dr. Maryal Concepcion about what it takes to build a DPC practice that serves employers without giving up autonomy. He opened with 198 members on day one after a 15 month runway, a $1,000 equipment haul from a shuttered nursing program, and a lot of honest conversations with patients he wanted to bring with him. He also gets direct about the mistakes he sees. Enrollment is not engagement. A 375 employee contract can gut a 600 patient panel overnight if that company sells or closes. And overpromising to an employer poisons the well for the next DPC doctor who walks through that door. What you will hear: Why commitment and enthusiasm persuade patients faster than any marketing budget The three pillars Primary Health Partners built on before opening the doors How to identify a good employer partner, and when to say no Utilization differences between retail members and employee members, and why adoption rates range from 10% to 92% How he built a 28 doctor affiliate network in three weeks using DPC Mapper What he thinks about private equity and venture capital money entering DPC, and the two non-negotiables that protect your practice Why passive customer acquisition channels may be how DPC reaches the next tens of thousands of patients Lessons on autonomy from practicing inside the Army health system Find resources and your next step at mydpcstory.com , including the free startup checklist and the Physician Owner's Planner built for the business side of practice ownership. Leave a voice message at mydpcstory.com/contact and your question could be featured on a future episode. Follow My DPC Story on socials @mydpcstory. Get $250 off registration at HLTH with code H26MYDPCSTORY - and join Maryal at Healthcare's #1 Innovation Event. Las Vegas Nov 15th-18th. Get the DPC Pricing Calculator sponsored by Goodman CPA HERE Support the show GET your FREE MONTHLY BUSINESS TOOL DOWNLOAD Become A My DPC Story PATREON MEMBER ! SPONSOR THE POD My DPC Story VOICEMAIL ! DPC SWAG! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube