Frequently Asked Questions

 Direct Primary Care (DPC) is an affordable, insurance-free option for most of your Primary and Acute Care needs.  Regardless of insurance status, in the DPC model patients pay a low monthly fee and work DIRECTLY with their doctor for access.  Very much like a gym membership- and just as important for your health!  It’s simple and straightforward.  There are no middlemen, no hidden fees, and no copays.  

 Direct Primary Care (DPC) isn’t concierge medicine, but it often feels like it!  The two models do have some things in common- like you can usually communicate with your doctor via phone/email/text in both models, both models are membership-based, and both models allow doctors to see fewer patients and spend more time with each of them.   But, DPC is generally a more affordable, low overhead/low volume model, whereas concierge medicine tends to be high overhead/low volume.

Many (not all) concierge practices also still bill a patient's insurance in addition to charging a membership fee.  That’s okay.  That’s what makes their model work for them.  The "direct" in DPC means we don't do that though.  It's precisely by cutting out all that overhead associated with billing insurance (coding, claims filing, pre-authorizations, etc.) that we’re able to make our model work.  Furthermore, while many (not all) concierge practices are affiliated with large parent corporations, most DPC practices are truly independent, local, small businesses, like Waypoint.

 As much time as you need. By limiting the number of patients we will accept, we are able to offer unrushed, extended office visits. Our goal is to provide personalized care for our members.

All wellness visits are provided at ZERO cost to all members! Pap smears will have a low lab cost. 

See "Pre-Enroll" section for membership rates.

The recurring monthly membership fee is based on age. A one-time registration fee of $100 is charged at enrollment.

 We do not require members to sign any contracts. There is no commitment.

 Membership is month-to-month and must be maintained in order to continue service. 

There is a one-time registration fee of $100 at the time of enrollment. 

 No, but we can save you money. Perhaps the most critical distinction in our model of care centers on a direct, personal relationship between you and your doctor. We forgo insurance payments in order to eliminate the middleman. Furthermore, this arrangement frees us from the typical contractual agreements that prevent physicians from offering steep discounts on laboratory tests, imaging, and medications. 

 We can order or refer just as any insurance-based doctor can do. For some outside services, we can help find reasonable "cash" prices if you are paying out-of-pocket - especially for radiology and lab services. We can provide many urgent care and minor emergency services during regular or after-hours (stitches, colds, etc.) that can help people avoid a trip to the ER. However, we advise you to keep health insurance for services not covered by Waypoint DPC, such as surgery, hospitalization, or consulting with a specialist. 

Dr. Calisch is trained in Internal Medicine and specializes in medical care for adults. Pediatric medicine is a specialty and patients under 18 are best served by a pediatrician. Consequently, Dr. Calisch does not see patients under 18 years. 

Yes! Most definitely. Direct primary care doctors work hard to provide affordable solutions for their patients. We are always on the lookout for deals and coupons on tests and meds to save YOU money. Oftentimes the cost of a DPC membership PLUS a high deductible car accident/cancer/catastrophe (“3C’s”) insurance plan adds up to LESS money spent out-of-pocket than you would pay on premiums, deductibles, and co-pays for your “bells & whistles” insurance plan.

 In DPC, we do our best to be available for you and keep you healthy. Unprecedented access to a doctor who really knows you can often mean keeping you OUT of the ER or hospital.  We have a  network of specialists with whom we can consult on your behalf when an in-person exam by the specialist is not necessary. That being said, there will inevitably be occasions when you may need to go to the ER, be hospitalized, have surgery, or see a specialist in person. This is when it’s really nice to have that “3Cs” insurance coverage. Dr. Calisch can handle many things, but he’s not taking out your appendix in his office! 

So if you need to be referred to a specialist, and they take your insurance, you're more than welcome to use it with them.  Additionally, if you need costly studies or procedures, such as an MRI or a colonoscopy, you can usually use your insurance for that as well.  Of note, PPO plans are generally a better fit with DPC than HMO plans though, because with a PPO plan Dr. Calisch is still able to be your ordering physician for things like that.

You can also still use your insurance for prescription medications, if needed.  Although, truth be told, many common prescriptions actually cost less than your standard co-pay.  If you want to use your insurance, we just fax in your prescription to the pharmacy of your choice, just like usual.  Dr. Calisch buys medications in bulk at wholesale prices and passes those savings on to his patients.  In fact, it's not unheard of for a patient to be able to pay for the entirety of their DPC membership with money saved by NOT using their insurance for prescriptions.  For example, a typical DPC patient may pay $11.99 using their popular Medicare plan for a 30-day supply of aspirin.  Through Dr. Calisch, that same prescription is as low as $0.58.  A 30-day supply of Prozac, $1.41.  Three months of oral contraceptives?  $18.08.  Two months of Lipitor? $2.94.  You get the idea.  Insurance companies would have you think you're saving big bucks because you "just" have a co-pay, when really the co-pay is sometimes more than the meds! 

 There are some meds that ARE expensive though, such as EpiPens, or Symbicort, for example.  And insurance can be helpful for those. 

 Absolutely. Dr. Calisch is opting out of Medicare. Although Medicare will not pay us for any services provided by our practice, your Medicare benefits are otherwise unchanged and you may use them for any other medical care received outside of our practice, such as any specialist referrals or any ancillary testing recommended.

Even though a DPC membership must be strictly out-of-pocket for Medicare patients, many still choose to join in order to avoid long wait times and administrative hassles so prevalent in corporate “healthcare.” A meaningful relationship with and easy access to a physician who knows them can often prevent an unnecessary ER visit or hospitalization. The money saved right there can then cover months, if not years, of DPC membership costs. 

 Definitively, no.  A DPC membership IS NOT insurance and isn’t intended to replace insurance. A DPC membership is a great way to see that most of your medical needs are met, but we still recommend you have a plan for hospitalizations or major health issues. Direct Primary Care is an option that offers a great complement to insurance *when insurance is used as…. insurance.*

Let’s expand on that.

The whole point of insurance is to make sure you’re covered in case of an unexpected, expensive, big-deal event, like cancer, a car accident, or some other medical catastrophe. I call those the "3C’s.” Cancer, car accidents, catastrophes. It works because the number of people that have something really expensively bad happen to them is only a fraction of the total number paying into the pool.

Primary care is NOT an unexpected, big-deal event. We’re SUPPOSED to see a doctor a few times a year. It’s NORMAL to need some minor acute care on occasion. It’s BETTER to prevent poor health than to treat it. These are basic healthcare needs that are entirely predictable and expected. That’s the opposite of what insurance was designed for. Primary care isn’t expensive. Why is insurance even involved?

Using your health insurance for such predictable, routine, completely expected matters would be like filing a claim on your homeowner’s insurance not just when your house burns down, but also every time you call a plumber or get your lawn mowed. It would be like filing a claim on your auto insurance every time you get your oil changed or tires rotated or even fill up a tank of gas. If people did that sort of thing those industries would break down, right? Because it would be ridiculous, right? Because that’s NOT WHAT INSURANCE IS FOR, right? Responsible adults budget for routine, anticipated expenses and keep a little in reserve for when they need to call a plumber. 

 How much could you save on your premiums if you narrowed your coverage to only the unexpected? Enough to cover your DPC membership? More, and you could pocket the difference? What value would you place on NOT to having deal with insurers and copays and just being able to text your doctor when you need them?

This. Is. DPC. 

Adapted with permission from Dr. Ballenger of Charmed DPC and Dr. Galen of ColGa DPC. Many thanks!