Frequently asked questions

Understanding Direct Primary Care

  • Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a membership model for primary care. The hassle of billing insurance for routine visits is replaced with a simple monthly fee. Your membership covers primary-care services provided by our clinicians, and gives you direct access to your doctor by text, phone, or video whenever questions come up.

    Think of it like car insurance: we don’t use insurance for oil changes or routine maintenance, only for accidents. DPC applies the same idea to healthcare—using insurance for major or unexpected events, while keeping everyday care simple and accessible.

    Traditional primary care doctors must care for 2000+ patients. In the DPC model, we are able to limit our practice to just a fraction of that. This allows us to focus on prevention, be available when something urgent arises, and most importantly, to truly get to know you. The result is care that’s personal, transparent, and designed to keep you as healthy and satisfied as possible.

  • No. While Direct Primary Care (DPC) and concierge medicine share some similarities—like a strong focus on personalized, accessible care through a direct relationship between doctor and patient—they are not the same.

    Concierge practices usually bill insurance in addition to charging a membership fee, which is often much higher. They may still rely heavily on insurance reimbursements, with all the paperwork and restrictions that come with them.

    DPC, on the other hand, does not bill insurance at all. Patients pay an affordable monthly membership fee directly to their doctor. This keeps costs lower, removes administrative burden, and allows providers to focus their time and energy on caring for patients.

    Because of this, DPC practices can also serve patients who are uninsured or underinsured, while concierge models generally cannot. And importantly, patients in a DPC practice never receive a surprise bill from an insurance company for the care they receive in our clinic.

  • Direct Primary Care can reduce your overall healthcare expenses by focusing on prevention and early intervention. With direct access to your doctor, health issues are addressed quickly—often before they turn into costly urgent care, ER visits, or hospital stays.

    Your membership fee is simple and transparent, covering routine and preventive services with no copays, coinsurance, or hidden charges from our office. That means you’ll never be surprised by a bill for care you’ve already received.

    Many patients combine DPC with a high-deductible insurance plan, which provides protection for major or unexpected events while keeping day-to-day costs predictable and affordable. This approach can result in comprehensive coverage at a much lower total cost.

  • Yes. Direct Primary Care isn’t only for people with ongoing health concerns—it’s also a great fit if you’re generally healthy. Having a doctor who knows you well means you can get trusted advice quickly whenever something does come up, without the hassle of scheduling delays or urgent care visits.

    DPC also emphasizes preventive care, helping you stay healthy and catch potential issues early. Even if you don’t need frequent visits, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your doctor is available by text, phone, or video whenever questions arise—whether it’s a sudden injury, new medication, or preparing for travel.

    In short, DPC provides convenient access, continuity of care, and proactive prevention—all of which can be just as valuable for healthy patients as for those managing chronic conditions.

  • We do not provide emergency department or inpatient hospital services, and your membership does not cover the costs of those services. In a true emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department right away.

    For hospital stays, specialist visits, or any services outside our office, you should use your health insurance or pay the outside provider directly. We can help coordinate your care and stay in touch with the doctors involved, but we do not pay for or insure those outside services.

Our practice and clinical services

  • With Direct Primary Care, you don’t have to go through layers of phone trees or wait weeks for an appointment.

    When you need something, you call or text your doctor directly to make a plan of care. Same-day or next-day visits are available for anything urgent, and routine exams can be scheduled within a week.

    Direct access means you spend less time waiting and more time getting the care you need, when you need it.

  • Our goal is to provide comprehensive primary care for most of your health needs. That said, there are some situations where specialty care or outside services are necessary.

    For example, while we can provide early first-trimester obstetric care, we do not offer full prenatal services—but we will help connect you with an excellent local Ob/Gyn for ongoing pregnancy care. Similarly, there are times when consultation with a specialist is the best way to ensure you receive the highest quality care, and we will coordinate that referral with you.

    We do not prescribe chronic Schedule II medications for conditions such as chronic pain, insomnia, or anxiety (e.g., opioids or benzodiazepines).

    Your membership does not cover services provided outside our office, such as hospitalizations, surgeries, or specialist visits.

  • Yes! As family medicine doctors we are passionate about our ability to care for patients of all ages, starting with newborns. We do ask that at least one parent is also enrolled, so that we can support the whole family.

    We offer discounted membership pricing for children—please see our Membership Page for details.

  • As family medicine doctors, we’re trained to care for patients of all ages and to manage a wide range of health concerns. This includes chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma; acute issues such as infections or injuries that may require stitches; and procedures like skin biopsies or joint injections.

    Our goal is to be your first point of contact for nearly all of your health needs. For a more information see our Membership page or reach out to us with questions.

  • Most of your care can be handled directly in our office, but sometimes seeing a specialist is the best way to ensure you get the highest quality care. When that happens, we’ll help coordinate your referral and stay involved so your care feels seamless.

    You can use your insurance (if you have it) for specialist visits, hospitalizations, or procedures outside our office. We’ll work closely with your specialist to keep your care connected and to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

  • We can help you find independent vendors that offer transparent cash prices for labs, imaging, and certain medications. You are always free to use any vendor you prefer. Any prices or discounts are set by those vendors and paid by you directly to them; we do not pay for, insure, guarantee, or mark up outside services.

    Sometimes we work with Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) that negotiate lower cash prices with vendors like LabCorp. A GPO simply gives us access to those discounts — but the service is still provided by the outside vendor, and you pay them directly. Our role is to connect you with options, not to finance or control those outside services. With discounted pricing:

    • Most common labs (including those typically ordered for an annual preventive exam) are less than $5 each.

    • A 90-day supply of a common blood pressure medication like lisinopril 10 mg may cost around $6.

    • A CT scan can be as low as $250, depending on the imaging center.

Membership, insurance and financial contracts

  • Membership is $200 per month for adults and $100 per month for children. Please see our membership page for more details about our monthly membership fee.

  • No, Marin Family Medicine is a medical practice. Our membership is not health insurance, not a health care service plan, and not a prepaid or capitated health plan. Membership fees pay only for professional services that our clinicians personally provide within our primary-care scope. We do not assume financial risk for your overall health care costs, and we do not arrange for or pay for services provided by other entities (hospitals, specialists, labs, imaging centers, pharmacies, etc.). Patients should maintain separate health insurance for services we do not provide.

  • Yes. Direct Primary Care is not a replacement for health insurance. We strongly recommend you keep insurance to cover services we do not provide (hospitalizations, emergency care, specialist visits, surgeries, etc.).

    Many of our patients pair DPC with a high-deductible or lower-cost insurance plan, which keeps overall expenses down while ensuring they’re protected if something unexpected happens.

    Think of DPC as the foundation of your everyday healthcare, and insurance as your safety net for the big things.

  • Your monthly fee covers clinically appropriate primary-care services personally provided by our clinicians, such as:

    • Annual physicals and preventive visits

    • Sports and school physicals

    • Visits for chronic conditions and follow-ups

    • Same-day or next-day visits for acute illness or minor injuries

    • Basic office procedures

    In addition, members receive significant discounts on medications, labs, and imaging when paying out of pocket.

    Perhaps most importantly, your membership gives you direct access to your doctor by phone, text, video, or email—so you can reach out directly with questions or concerns.

    Services provided by other entities are not included in the membership and are billed by those entities directly to you or your insurer. Examples: outside labs and imaging, specialist care, emergency department or hospital care, vaccines supplied by outside vendors, prescription medications, durable medical equipment, and any procedures that require a facility fee.

  • We are not yet enrolling Medicare patients, but we’ve created a waitlist for those interested in joining. Adding your name helps us move toward our goal of caring for Medicare patients.

    Joining the waitlist ensures you’ll be among the first to know when enrollment opens.

  • We believe you have a right to know exactly what your healthcare costs. That’s why we’ve included as much as possible in your membership fee. There are no hidden charges for office visits, urgent appointments, or phone calls.

    On rare occasions, we may charge a small materials fee (usually around $20) for certain in-office procedures—such as an injection—simply to cover the cost of the supplies or medication itself.

    Transparency is part of our commitment to keeping your care simple, affordable, and free of surprises.

  • No long-term contracts are required. You can cancel your membership at any time, and it will simply end at the close of that month.

    There are no hidden fees or penalties for any of our services.

  • Starting in 2026, new federal legislation allows Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to be used for Direct Primary Care membership fees. We recommend checking with your HSA plan for the most up-to-date details. Our team is following these changes closely and can share more information as it becomes available.

    For Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), coverage depends on your employer’s plan rules—some may allow it, while others may not. We encourage you to confirm directly with your plan administrator.

  • Absolutely. While we recommend carrying insurance for unexpected medical expenses, we welcome members regardless of their insurance status.

    Your membership with us includes direct access to primary care, routine visits, preventive health screenings, chronic disease management, discounted medications and imaging, and personalized support. If you decide to seek additional coverage later on, we can help you navigate your options and connect you with resources.

  • You’re welcome to join our practice even if you have an HMO insurance plan. However, because HMOs require referrals to come from the primary care physician listed on your insurance card, our referrals to HMO specialists are often denied.

    If that happens, you would need to see your insurance-assigned PCP to obtain the referral. We’re happy to provide a detailed letter explaining why the referral is medically necessary, so you can share it with your PCP and advocate for the care you need.