Direct Primary Care FAQs

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a membership model in which patients pay the practice directly for primary care instead of having membership visits billed to insurance. At COS DPC, membership includes primary care visits with no visit copays, longer appointments, and direct communication with Dr. Willis. Some services have separate charges.

DPC uses a recurring membership fee for primary care visits. In a fee-for-service model, individual visits or services are billed separately, often through insurance. Your costs in an insurance-based practice depend on your coverage, copays, and deductible.

Both models may offer more direct access and longer visits. Concierge practices may charge a membership fee while also billing insurance. COS DPC does not bill insurance for membership primary care visits. Compare what each practice includes and what is charged separately.

Physicians and nurse practitioners follow different education and training pathways. A primary care physician completes medical school followed by residency training focused on diagnosing and managing a broad range of conditions; Internal Medicine residency alone is at least three years after medical school. Nurse practitioners complete graduate nursing education and supervised clinical preparation within a population focus. Clinical-hour requirements vary by specialty, program, and pathway, so commonly cited comparisons—such as more than 20,000 hours for physicians versus about 1,000 hours for nurse practitioners—are not standardized measures and should not be treated as universal. At COS DPC, membership care is led directly by Dr. Willis, a board-certified Internal Medicine physician.

The practice uses a direct membership relationship for primary care rather than billing insurance for membership visits. This allows the practice to offer a predictable monthly fee and no visit copays. Insurance still has a separate role for care outside the membership.

Depending on your insurance plan and healthcare needs, a DPC membership may help reduce your overall cost of care when paired with traditional insurance. Faster access to primary care can help you address concerns sooner, while your insurance remains available for hospital, emergency, specialist, and other covered services outside the practice. This may help you make fuller use of your coverage instead of paying premiums while waiting for a primary care appointment, but individual savings vary.

A COS DPC membership is not health insurance. It does not replace coverage for hospital care, emergency visits, surgery, specialists, or other services outside the practice. Consider maintaining traditional health insurance or a health share to help cover care that may require hospitalization or specialty services not offered by COS DPC.

Insurance is not required to receive care at COS DPC. Membership primary care is paid directly to the practice rather than through insurance. Contact COS DPC to confirm enrollment eligibility. Membership does not cover care outside the practice, so it should not be treated as a substitute for health insurance.

COS DPC provides membership-based Internal Medicine primary care for adults. The published policy places Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries on a waitlist, and the practice is currently unable to see Medicaid recipients. Please confirm eligibility with the practice before enrolling.

The practice offers access to discounted labs and imaging. These services may have separate costs beyond membership. Ask about the recommended test, where it will be performed, and its expected cost before proceeding.

Hospital care is outside the COS DPC membership. For a suspected medical emergency, call 911. For follow-up after hospitalization, contact the practice to discuss an appointment and care coordination; membership does not pay hospital bills.