FINDING ANSWERS
Frequently Asked Questions
How does direct primary care differ from traditional care?
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It allows doctors to spend more time with their patients by having smaller panel sizes ranging from 200-500 patients. Traditional practices have patient panels of 2000+.
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Traditional insurance makes it difficult for patients to access timely care sometimes booking out weeks to months. A DPC practice can usually see you same or next day.
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Using direct to consumer transparent pricing allows DPC practices to negotiate better prices for patients on meds, labs,diagnostics.
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DPC allows you to interact directly with your doctor.
Is this a concierge medical practice?
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No. There are aspects of concierge medicine that are similar. In both DPC and concierge, patients are given full access to their doctor by text, phone, email and more. They focus on excellent patient care and experience. However, concierge practice retainer fees are higher, and insurance, including co pays, other costs are billed. Most monthly DPC fees range from $20 to $120. Many concierge practices can charge between $150-200 dollars a month on top of your insurance.
QUESTIONS
DIRECT PRIMARY CARE
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Can I really call, text, email, portal, video visit my doctor?
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Is it more cost effective to pay directly for my healthcare vs have the insurance pay for it?
Office Policies
Do you accept insurance?
We DO NOT accept any insurance. We accept you though! Accepting insurance limits the amount of time that doctors can be with their patients, usually 5-10 minutes, and require large staff to file and process claims which increases cost. DPC allows us to give you more time, better care, and access to affordable pricing for meds, labs, imaging. Our memberships range from $90-120 month. This is still more affordable than most insurance plans and includes many of the needed primary care the average person requires. Please look at our pricing page for details.
Is this membership an insurance plan?
No. DPC membership is not health insurance. It is a model of care that allows you to access your doctor when you need for your care. A DPC wrap around policy or emergency insurance is recommended.
Do I have to have insurance to become a member?
No. Our doctor will see you as a patient even if you do not have insurance. Your membership will cover your office visits and many components of your care. It is recommended that you have some form of health insurance for unexpected emergencies or major events requiring surgery or other costly procedures.
Do you accept Medicare or Medicaid?
Unfortunately, we do not accept MEDICAID or MEDICARE.
Why should I join even if I already have insurance?
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We care about you as a real person in your entirety.
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Insurance is no guarantee to good care or timely access to care.
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DPC membership ensures that you can contact YOUR doctor when you need and appointments are available if they are necessary.
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Day to day primary care issues are easily addressed in a cost effective simple manner without paying a large insurance deductible. Insurance is meant for major illness like surgery or hospitalizations.
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You will save money.
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Our pricing is transparent. You know how much your care costs up front. There are no unexpected insurance bills.
Do you accept patients with pre-existing conditions?
Yes. We accept all patients with all pre-existing conditions. We will get you the care that you need. You will have the opportunity to schedule a meet and greet with Dr. Vo to make sure that you and the practice are a good fit.
Do you see children?
Yes. We are comfortable seeing children of all ages.
Do you see pregnant women?
Yes and No. We do not see pregnant women for prenatal care or delivery services. We are comfortable managing women’s health of those individuals who happen to be pregnant.
Do you see adults?
Yes. We are comfortable seeing adults of all ages.
What services are covered?
Monthly membership includes 4 office visits, video visits, with additional covered visits pending provider review. Home visits are at a small additional charge. Please see our pricing page for included services.
What services cost extra?
Some services are included in your membership. Select office testing, procedures, will have an affordable cost with savings over industry pricing. Meds, labs, and diagnostics are separate cost but brought to members with a significant discount. Please see the pricing page.
Do you really do house calls?
Yes. House calls are provided for members at their request during regular hours, after hours, for home visit charge, plus cost of treatment, within Tucson city limits pending provider discretion. Seeing pricing page for details.
Can I really call, text, email, portal, video visit my doctor?
Yes. You have full access to your provider 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. Not all problems needs an office visit. However, we do stress mutual respect in the use of your time and your provider’s time. It is advised that overnight communications be for urgent matters that cannot wait until morning during regular business hours. We ask that all patients only text, email or portal message non-urgent messages and allow at least 4-6 hours for a response. We request that urgent messages be called directly to the doctor and 1-2 hours allowed for response. If it is an emergency, patients are advised to call 911 and also notifying the doctor.
How flexible is appointment scheduling?
The practice has available hours Monday to Sunday depending on the doctor's schedule. Visits will be by appointment only. and requests will be processed within 24 hours. Hours are subject to change.
What if I have an emergency and need to go to the hospital?
We do not see patients in the hospital. Notify us and we will help to coordinate and stream line care for you with the hospital.
How do I know if I am experiencing a medical emergency?
Please go to the Emergency room or call 911 if you experience any of the following:
Chest pain or pressure
Difficulty breathing or worsening shortness of breath
Sudden increase in dizziness or weakness
Severe abdominal pain
Sudden or severe pain
Uncontrolled or heavy bleeding
Large open wounds
Coughing up or vomiting blood
Changes in mental status, confusion, loss of consciousness
Sudden change in vision
Major accidents
Major burns
Severe head injury
What if I need to go see a specialist?
We do our best to provide most of your care. Sometimes we need you to see a specialist for more evaluation, and for procedures we do not perform. We work with a close network of specialists and will refer you to the right person. If you don’t have insurance, we will work with physicians on cash pricing. If you have insurance, the specialists can bill your insurance if they are contracted.
What procedures do you offer?
We offer most outpatient family medicine procedures. Please review with your provider.
What happens if I am out of town and get sick?
No worries. You can call, text, email or video conference your doctor. If the problem is manageable through these means your doctor may be able to prescribe medication to a pharmacy near you. If your care requires more in person evaluation, there is a network of Direct Primary Care doctors that your doctor may be able to contact and get you seen or you will be asked to go to urgent care or the nearest emergency room if that is more appropriate.
Do you see non-members for care as well?
Yes. We are opening to see individuals who do not wish to become DPC members. However, the care associated with these visits will be simple urgent care type visits. Because we do not get the opportunity to get to know these individuals and provide comprehensive primary care, these individuals will not be given the discounted pricing on the visit or services. We will also not establish with them as their primary care provider even if they see us multiple times for a problem. A transparent pricing menu for full pay nonmembers will be available for review. Nonmembers may find it worth their time and money to become a member.
Can I use my FSA or HSA to pay for membership fees?
As of now, government legislation has not passed that allows your FSA or HSA funds to be used for membership billing. You may use your FSA or HSA for your medications, labs, imaging and other health associated costs. See your individual plan.
Is it more cost effective to pay directly for my healthcare vs have the insurance pay for it?
Yes. In most cases, paying directly for your care will be less expensive.
Insurance companies negotiate prices for meds, procedures, and visits with the price being much higher than paying directly. Also you must meet your deductible before many services are covered by your plan. Deductible prices have increased upwards to $10,000 or more making it difficult and expensive to access care.
You can save a lot of money by using insurance only for expensive things you cannot afford outright like surgery or hospitalization.
What is Health Cost Sharing Organizations?
These are usually non-profit organizations that Individuals choose to pay in a monthly fee based on their medical need and when costs arise the program pays a portion of their medical bills after submission of a claim to the program. There are stipulations and limitations to what they will cover. Those participants of the health share are exempt from the ACA mandate.
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Christian Healthcare Ministries | Healthcare cost sharing ministry (chministries.org)
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SEDARA ---https://sedera.com/
How can I join as a member?
Call us and leave a message. You will be contacted by staff and discuss briefly your interest in the practice. You will be asked to fill out all of the new patient registration documents and send them back for review. Then a meet and greet will be scheduled with Dr. Vo to see if we are a good fit. Once it is determined that we are a good fit, you will pay your membership and sign up online via the sign up invite link. Then Dr. Vo will send you an invite to SPRUCE messaging and Elation Health Patient Portal. You will then schedule your first visit which is a comprehensive 1.5-2-hour visit.
How do I cancel my membership?
Notify the office by both calling us and also in writing that you are cancelling your membership with at least 24 hours notice. You will be responsible for payment of any portion of the monthly membership used, or outstanding charges. Any time left in the monthly billing cycle will not be refunded. For example if your membership is billed on the first of the month and you cancel on the 15th, the remaining 2 weeks of the month will not be refunded.
I cancelled my membership can I re-sign up?
You are welcome to re-enroll as a patient as long as your prior cancellation was on good terms, you membership was not terminated or transferred to another provider for care for abusive or destructive behavior, or refusal to honor your membership dues. A re-enrollment fee of $200 will be charged in addition to your monthly recurring dues. There is a 3 strike rule meaning after 3 cancellations, regardless of reason, you will not be able to sign up.
I am healthy and do not see the doctor often. Why pay a monthly fee if I don’t use the services every month?
Our focus is on promoting health, and healthier lifestyles. We want to get to know you and not just see you when you are sick. We will help guide you and coach you to achieve your health goals. You never know when you will need us, but rest assured, we will be available for you.
Office Policies
What are your views on antibiotics?
We must all be stewards of appropriate antibiotic prescribing. Not all illness requires antibiotics and giving them when not medically necessary can create antibiotic bacterial resistance where the medications lose their effectiveness. While medication use is sometimes necessary, they come with their own side effects and at times can lead to potentially severe illness.
What are your views on narcotics and other habit forming, potentially addictive medications?
While we understand that narcotic pain medications are used for pain in many situations, it should be done so only for severe disease, and for short periods of time. The opioid crisis continues to cause increased morbidity and death. To be responsible medical providers, we have a duty to protect the public and our patients. As per Arizona prescribing guidelines, narcotic prescriptions will be select and limited to certain situations. Those who do not comply face severe consequences. Patients requiring such medications, outside certain circumstances like cancer, terminal illness, recent surgery, etc., will need to see a pain specialist. Similarly, benzodiazepines and similar medications known as hypnotics are known to be habit forming or even addictive and their use concurrently, or with other substances or medications can increase risk for disease and death. Being so, we reserve the right to limit the prescribing of these medications to rare cases or not at all. We honor our duty to treat your pain through other means including medications, therapy, omt, and more.
Are there medications that you do not prescribe?
We do not prescribe narcotics for chronic pain, suboxone for opioid dependence, benzodiazepines, hypnotics for chronic anxiety, sleep issues, stimulants for adult ADHD, or medications for pregnancy termination. Treatment of these conditions will be referred to a specialist in the respective areas who can best manage these issues. We will do our best to find alternative methods to help with the related issues.
What is your view of vaccination?
Vaccination is a vital part to healthy living and disease prevention. It is recommended for all able persons to get vaccinated in order to protect all members of the community , especially those at more risk or who may not be able to get vaccinated including young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those on cancer treatment and more.
Do you provide vaccinations in the clinic?
At this time we do not provide vaccinations in the clinic. The doctor will recommend the appropriate vaccine and dosing schedule and have patients get them at the health department or pharmacy.