Service Providers for DPC Practices¶

Quick Summary: The right professional advisors can save you significant time, money, and legal risk. Here's what to look for in key service providers.

Essential Professional Advisors¶

Healthcare Attorney¶

When you need one: - Forming your business entity - Drafting membership agreement - Reviewing contracts - Partnership/employment agreements - Compliance questions - If anything goes wrong

What to look for: - Healthcare law experience (essential) - DPC familiarity (ideal) - Physician practice experience - Responsive communication - Clear fee structure

Typical costs: - Membership agreement review: $500-2,000 - Entity formation: $1,000-3,000 - Hourly rate: $200-500/hour - Partnership agreement: $3,000-10,000

Finding DPC-savvy attorneys: - DPC Alliance provider directory - DPC conference sponsor lists - Ask other DPC physicians - State medical society referrals

Questions to ask: - Have you worked with DPC practices? - What's your fee structure? - How quickly do you respond? - Can you review my membership agreement?

Accountant / CPA¶

When you need one: - Entity structure decisions - Tax planning - Bookkeeping (optional) - Annual tax preparation - Payroll (if employees) - Financial guidance

What to look for: - Medical practice experience - Small business focus - Proactive tax planning - Accessible for questions - QuickBooks compatible (if using)

Typical costs: - Annual tax prep (solo): $500-1,500 - Monthly bookkeeping: $200-500 - Payroll services: $50-150/month - Tax planning meeting: $200-500

Questions to ask: - Do you work with physician practices? - How do you handle quarterly estimates? - What's included in your annual fee? - How available are you for questions?

Insurance Broker¶

Types of insurance to discuss: - Malpractice (professional liability) - Business owner's policy (BOP) - Cyber liability - Workers' compensation - Health insurance (for you) - Disability insurance - Life insurance

What to look for: - Access to multiple carriers - Medical practice experience - Annual policy review - Claims assistance - Responsive service

Questions to ask: - What carriers do you work with? - Do you specialize in healthcare? - How often do you review coverage? - What's your commission structure?

Financial Services¶

Banking¶

What to look for: - Business checking account - Low/no fees for small business - Online banking - Mobile deposit - Good customer service

DPC-friendly banks: - Local community banks (often best service) - Credit unions - Online banks (lower fees)

Avoid: Big banks that don't prioritize small business

Payment Processing¶

For DPC: ACH (bank transfer) is cheapest for recurring memberships.

Merchant Services¶

If accepting credit cards in-office: - Compare rates carefully - Watch for hidden fees - Consider Square or Stripe terminals - Avoid long-term contracts

Operational Service Providers¶

Answering Services¶

When needed: - After-hours coverage - Overflow during busy times - Vacation coverage

Options: | Type | Cost | Quality | |------|------|---------| | Medical answering service | $100-300/month | Trained in medical triage | | Virtual receptionist | $200-500/month | Professional, not medical | | AI-powered | $50-150/month | Improving rapidly | | Colleague coverage | Trade/free | Best clinical judgment |

What to look for: - HIPAA compliance - Medical experience - Clear protocols - Message delivery method - Call recording (for your review)

IT Support¶

When needed: - EMR setup/troubleshooting - Network security - Computer issues - Telehealth technical support

Options: - Managed service provider (MSP): $100-300/month - Break-fix technician: $75-150/hour - EMR vendor support: Included or fee - DIY with cloud-based systems: $0

For most DPC practices: Cloud-based EMR + minimal local IT = low IT needs

Medical Waste Disposal¶

Required if you generate: - Sharps (needles, lancets) - Biohazardous materials - Some medications

Providers: - Stericycle - Sharps Compliance - Local medical waste services

Cost: $30-100/month for small practice

Cleaning Services¶

Don't clean your own office.

Options: - Medical office cleaning service: $100-300/month - General cleaning with medical add-on - Daily vs. weekly vs. twice-weekly

What to look for: - Experience with medical offices - HIPAA awareness (seeing patient info) - Flexible scheduling - Reliability

Marketing and Web Services¶

Website¶

Logo and Branding¶

• DIY (Canva): Free-$15/month
• 99designs: $300-1,000
• Local designer: $500-2,500
• Branding agency: $5,000+

SEO/Marketing¶

For most DPC practices: - Google Business Profile (free, essential) - Basic website SEO (DIY-able) - Social media presence - Patient word-of-mouth

Don't overspend on marketing - DPC grows through relationships

Specialty DPC Service Providers¶

Hint Health¶

Services: Membership management, billing, patient enrollment

Cost: ~1% of revenue or per-member fee

Best for: Practices wanting turnkey membership management

Atlas.md¶

Services: EMR + practice management for DPC

Cost: Monthly subscription

Best for: All-in-one DPC solution

DPC Frontier¶

Services: Education, resources, community

Cost: Free (with some premium content)

Best for: Learning and networking

Elation Health¶

Services: EMR with DPC-friendly features

Cost: Monthly subscription

Best for: Clinical-focused EMR

Evaluating Service Providers¶

Questions to Ask¶

1. Do you work with small medical practices?
2. Do you have DPC-specific experience?
3. What's your fee structure?
4. How do you communicate?
5. What's included vs. extra?
6. Can I speak with references?
7. What's the contract term?
8. How do I cancel if needed?

Red Flags¶

• Long-term contracts for simple services
• Unclear pricing
• No medical practice experience
• Poor communication during sales process
• Pressure tactics
• No references available

Getting Recommendations¶

• Ask other DPC physicians
• DPC Facebook groups
• State medical society
• DPC conferences
• Local physician networks

Related Guides¶

• Working with Attorneys
• Business Insurance Guide
• Tax Planning Basics

[!TIP] Start with the essentials (attorney, CPA, malpractice insurance) and add services as needed. You don't need everything at once.

Good advisors pay for themselves in avoided mistakes and saved time. Invest in relationships with professionals who understand your DPC practice.