DPC Life: Direct Primary Care Podcast

Anne Gonzalez, MD
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Medicine
  • Weekly

DPC Life is a podcast for Direct Primary Care physicians building and sustaining an independent practice. Real conversations about the actual work: leaving insurance-based medicine, setting membership pricing, growing a patient panel, and what the first two years of practice ownership look like. Coaching calls and conversations with DPC docs a few steps further along. Whether you are pre-launch, in year one, or established and stuck, you will find peers who have sat where you are sitting. New episodes weekly, free anywhere you get podcasts.

  1. 10h ago

    How to Grow a Direct Primary Care Practice at Six Months: What to Do When You Are Getting Only One or Two New Patients a Month - Part 2

    In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Ruth Solomon, we walks her through the marketing side: naming and describing her ideal patient in real detail, keeping one core message instead of a scattered feed, batch filming content, finding local podcasts, and the case for hosting one of her own. How do you describe your ideal patient so she recognizes herself? Why is it okay to say the same thing over and over on social media? How do you record content that sounds natural instead of memorized? Why should a new practice consider starting its own local podcast? 🎧 Haven't listened to Part 1 yet? Listen to Part 1 here: 📖 Want the full conversation? Full show notes and transcript: https://dpclife.com/post/58-ruth-solomon 🎁 Free Direct Primary Care Resources Explore free resources for physicians getting started with Direct Primary Care: https://dpclife.com/start Join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com/club Is your DPC practice reaching its full potential? Take the free, 2-minute Quick Practice Audit from Harmony Ops to identify opportunities to improve your practice systems, patient acquisition, and growth. Take the Quick Practice Audit here: https://24-7-bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/audit 💬 Enjoy This Episode? Follow the DPC Life Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Leave a review or comment. It helps other Direct Primary Care physicians discover the show. Share this episode with a physician who may find Dr. Solomon's story helpful. Connect with DPC Life Website: https://dpclife.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dpclife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dpclife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dpc-life-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thedpclifepodcast Connect with Anne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gonzalez-dpc/ Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com

  2. 2d ago

    How to Grow a Direct Primary Care Practice at Six Months: What to Do When You Are Getting Only One or Two New Patients a Month - Part 1

    What do you do when you're six months into a Direct Primary Care practice, doing all the right things, and the patients still aren't coming fast enough? Dr. Ruth Solomon opened April MD Direct Primary Care in Babylon, New York after more than a decade in the traditional system, an hour-and-a-half commute to the Bronx, and the kind of burnout that had her dreading work every morning. She found Direct Primary Care while researching ways to leave clinical medicine altogether. Now she is six months in, charging a flat $149 a month, adding one or two patients a month, and doing the groundwork: social media, networking events, pop-ups at gyms and Pilates studios, a library program, and a podcast appearance. The return has not matched the effort yet, and she is honest about how personally that lands. So Dr. Anne Gonzalez turned this one into a working session. They dig into why comparison to other practices is misleading, how to define an ideal patient specifically enough that she actually recognizes herself, how to follow up with a referral network, and how to make social media sound like a real person instead of a script. IN THIS EPISODE Why is it misleading to compare your patient numbers to other Direct Primary Care practices? How do you set your membership price when there are almost no Direct Primary Care practices near you? What do you say to someone who says "but I already have health insurance"? How do you define your ideal patient specifically enough for your marketing to work? How do you build and follow up with a referral network as a new practice? Why does in-person networking convert better than social media? How do you make social media sound like you instead of a script? If you're a physician in your first year of Direct Primary Care and wondering whether slow growth means something is wrong with you, this conversation is one you'll want to hear. About Dr. Ruth Solomon Dr. Ruth Solomon is a family medicine physician and the founder of April MD Direct Primary Care in Babylon, New York. She finished residency over 10 years ago, trained in Pennsylvania, and spent her career practicing in the Bronx before burnout and the pandemic pushed her to look for another way to practice. She opened her Direct Primary Care practice six months ago with a flat $149 per month membership, 30-minute appointments, and a focus on education and trust. Most of her patients are uninsured and could not afford a marketplace plan. Website: https://aprilmd.com/ Email: info@aprilmd.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilmdli/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aprilmdli  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aprilmdli/ Full show notes and transcript: https://dpclife.com/post/58-ruth-solomon Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com Direct Primary Care resources: https://dpclife.com/start ENJOY THIS EPISODE? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps other Direct Primary Care physicians find the show. Share with any physician who is working on their messaging or thinking about a practice without a brick and mortar office. Subscribe so you do not miss the next episode. Is your DPC practice reaching its full potential? Take the free, 2-minute Quick Practice Audit from Harmony Ops to identify opportunities to improve your practice systems, patient acquisition, and growth. Take the Quick Practice Audit here: https://24-7-bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/audit Connect with DPC Life Website: https://dpclife.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dpclife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dpclife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dpc-life-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thedpclifepodcast Connect with Anne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gonzalez-dpc/ Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com

  3. Oct 22

    Why Hiring a Marketing Company First Was the Wrong Move and What to Do Instead When You Launch Your Practice - Part 2

    In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Janeeka Benoit, we get into the marketing side: why the copy she paid for did not sound like her, how she nurtures leads from her free body composition quiz, what she does with every business card she collects, and how a business coach helped her work through the mind drama that was holding her back. Why should you write your own messaging instead of outsourcing it? How do you nurture leads who are not ready to join yet? What system should you use to follow up after networking events? How do you get past the thoughts telling you you're not good enough? 🎧 Haven't listened to Part 1 yet? Listen to Part 1 here: 📖 Want the full conversation? Full show notes and transcript: https://dpclife.com/post/57-janeeka-benoit  🎁 Free Direct Primary Care Resources Explore free resources for physicians getting started with Direct Primary Care: https://dpclife.com/start Join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com/club Is your DPC practice reaching its full potential? Take the free, 2-minute Quick Practice Audit from Harmony Ops to identify opportunities to improve your practice systems, patient acquisition, and growth. Take the Quick Practice Audit here: https://24-7-bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/audit 💬 Enjoy This Episode? Follow the DPC Life Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Leave a review or comment. It helps other Direct Primary Care physicians discover the show. Share this episode with a physician who may find Dr. Benoit's story helpful. Connect with DPC Life Website: https://dpclife.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dpclife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dpclife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dpc-life-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thedpclifepodcast Connect with Anne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gonzalez-dpc/ Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com

  4. Oct 20

    Why Hiring a Marketing Company First Was the Wrong Move and What to Do Instead When You Launch Your Practice - Part 1

    What happens when you stop taking the lower rate and start setting your own? Dr. Janeeka Benoit is an internal medicine and sports medicine board, based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and running a fully telehealth practice called Invessel. She got there by way of locums work, three months at a time away from home, with rates that kept dropping no matter how hard she negotiated. Her fiance asked the obvious question: why not start your own practice? She already did telehealth, so she built hers without a brick and mortar. Today she is licensed in 12 states, though most of her patients come from her own community, and she works with high-achieving women navigating midlife and metabolic health. In this conversation with Dr. Anne Gonzalez, she gets specific about the parts most physicians skip: how to network without a clinic, how to ask for referrals even when you think the answer is no, why she scrapped the copy she paid a marketing company to write, and the mind drama that nearly kept her from launching at all. IN THIS EPISODE How do you start a telehealth practice without a brick and mortar office? How do you find patients locally when your practice is fully virtual? How do you ask for referrals, and who should you be asking? Why did hiring a marketing company not work, and what did she do instead? How do you handle imposter syndrome when you are starting a practice? What do you actually do with the business cards you collect at networking events? If you're a physician thinking about telehealth, figuring out your messaging, or stuck on who you are to be doing this at all, this conversation is one you'll want to hear. About Dr. Janeeka Benoit Dr. Janeeka Benoit is an internal medicine physician and fellowship-trained sports medicine physician in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and the founder of Invessel, a fully telehealth practice focused on metabolic health for high-achieving women in midlife. The name stands for invest in vessel, meaning your mind, body, and spirit. She graduated in 2021, worked as a locums physician in primary care, sports medicine, and hospitalist medicine, and is licensed in 12 states. She is currently pursuing obesity medicine certification and also does sports medicine telehealth. Website: https://invesselhealth.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjaneekabenoit_do FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071327050707 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drjaneekabenoit_do Full show notes and transcript: https://dpclife.com/post/57-janeeka-benoit  Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com Direct Primary Care resources: https://dpclife.com/start ENJOY THIS EPISODE? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps other Direct Primary Care physicians find the show. Share with any physician who is working on their messaging or thinking about a practice without a brick and mortar office. Subscribe so you do not miss the next episode. Is your DPC practice reaching its full potential? Take the free, 2-minute Quick Practice Audit from Harmony Ops to identify opportunities to improve your practice systems, patient acquisition, and growth. Take the Quick Practice Audit here: https://24-7-bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/audit Connect with DPC Life Website: https://dpclife.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dpclife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dpclife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dpc-life-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thedpclifepodcast Connect with Anne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gonzalez-dpc/ Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com

  5. Oct 15

    How to Launch a Telehealth Direct Primary Care Practice While Still Working in the ER: What Dr. Christina Long Learned in Year One - Part 2

    In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Christina Long, we get into the operations behind a cash-based telehealth practice: the EHR that was not built for compound pharmacies, the rules on shipping and administering compounded medications, how she prices her annual membership, and what she would tell a physician starting telehealth today. Why do most EHRs struggle with compound pharmacy prescribing? What are the rules for 503A and 503B compounded medications? How do you price a concierge membership when online competitors charge $100 a month? What are the first steps to starting your own telehealth practice? 🎧 Haven't listened to Part 1 yet? Listen to Part 1 here: 📖 Want the full conversation? Read the full show notes and transcript here: https://dpclife.com/post/episode56-christina-long-telehealth Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: dpclife.com Direct Primary Care resources: https://dpclife.com/start Practice Audit: https://24-7-bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/audit 🚀 Pre-launch or in your first year of Direct Primary Care? The Early Practice Plan is the Harmony Ops program I built for physicians who are still figuring out the systems, the messaging, and the day-to-day of running a new practice. You get operations, patient flow, CRM, and the marketing foundation that carries you through year one. $99 per 28 days for your first three billing cycles, then $349/cycle. New to Direct Primary Care or just getting started? Check out the Early Practice Plan. 👉 https://bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/earlypp-page Connect with DPC Life Website: ⁠https://dpclife.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/dpclife/⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/dpclife⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dpc-life-podcast⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@thedpclifepodcast⁠ Connect with Anne: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gonzalez-dpc/⁠ Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: ⁠https://dpclife.com/club⁠

  6. Oct 13

    How to Launch a Telehealth Direct Primary Care Practice While Still Working in the ER: What Dr. Christina Long Learned in Year One - Part 1

    What does it actually cost to start a telehealth practice, and what do the Facebook groups forget to tell you? Dr. Christina Long is an emergency medicine physician in Utah who opened The Bougie Bee in January after years of academic medicine in Chicago and a side gig with a telemedicine company that paid her $5 or $6 per patient. She calls that old setup an online pill mill, and she built her own practice to get away from it. She is licensed in 25 states, runs the whole practice herself out of a home office with a pink mini fridge, and hit her first-year goal of 30 patients within months. Along the way she bombed a Texas law exam, got banned by Meta for using the word tirzepatide, got banned from Google Ads for the word telemedicine, and found out she needed a $3,300 certification she had never heard of. IN THIS EPISODE How do you start a telehealth practice as a physician with no roadmap? How many state medical licenses do you actually need, and what do they cost? What is the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, and which states are hardest? How do you find patients for a cash-based practice without paid advertising? Why did Meta and Google ban her ads, and what is LegitScript certification? What should you look out for before you sign with a telemedicine company? If you're a physician thinking about telehealth, a cash-based practice, or anything outside the traditional clinic model, this conversation is one you'll want to hear. About Dr. Christina Long Dr. Christina Long is an emergency medicine physician in Utah and the founder of The Bougie Bee, a concierge telehealth practice she opened in January. Website: https://www.thebougiebeemd.com/ Instagram: @thebougiebeemd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBougieBeeMD/ Full show notes and transcript: https://dpclife.com/post/episode56-christina-long-telehealth Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: dpclife.com Direct Primary Care resources: https://dpclife.com/start Practice Audit: https://24-7-bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/audit ENJOY THIS EPISODE? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps other Direct Primary Care physicians find the show. Share with any physician who is curious about telehealth or building a practice outside the traditional clinic model. Subscribe so you do not miss the next episode. 🚀 Pre-launch or in your first year of Direct Primary Care? The Early Practice Plan is the Harmony Ops program I built for physicians who are still figuring out the systems, the messaging, and the day-to-day of running a new practice. You get operations, patient flow, CRM, and the marketing foundation that carries you through year one. $99 per 28 days for your first three billing cycles, then $349/cycle. New to Direct Primary Care or just getting started? Check out the Early Practice Plan. 👉 https://bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/earlypp-page Connect with DPC Life Website: https://dpclife.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dpclife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dpclife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dpc-life-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thedpclifepodcast Connect with Anne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gonzalez-dpc/ Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com/club

  7. Oct 8

    The Bad Business Decisions That Built a 1,500-Patient Direct Primary Care Practice with Dr. Charles Opperman - Part 2

    In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Charles Opperman, we cover how his gold tier visit fee works, how he helps patients choose the right membership tier, and how he sets boundaries around 24/7 cell phone access. How do you help patients choose between Direct Primary Care membership tiers? Should you let patients sign up at a meet and greet? How do you set boundaries with 24/7 access in Direct Primary Care? 🎧 Haven't listened to Part 1 yet? Listen to Part 1 here: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/episode/2pdzl9zUYifDlKO9eR7M3Q?si=vMn78_f3RcWDCgg1_35drg⁠ 📖 Want the full conversation? Read the full show notes and transcript here: https://dpclife.com/post/episode55-charles-opperman 🎁 Free Direct Primary Care Resources Explore free resources for physicians getting started with Direct Primary Care: https://dpclife.com/startPractice Audit: https://24-7-bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/audit 🚀 Join the DPC Life Community Want more support, resources, and conversations for physicians building their Direct Primary Care practice? Join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com/club ENJOY THIS EPISODE? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps other Direct Primary Care physicians find the show. Share with any physician who is rethinking how to price their Direct Primary Care memberships. Subscribe so you do not miss the next episode. 🚀 Pre-launch or in your first year of Direct Primary Care? The Early Practice Plan is the Harmony Ops program I built for physicians who are still figuring out the systems, the messaging, and the day-to-day of running a new practice. You get operations, patient flow, CRM, and the marketing foundation that carries you through year one. $99 per 28 days for your first three billing cycles, then $349/cycle. New to Direct Primary Care or just getting started? Check out the Early Practice Plan. 👉 https://bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/earlypp-page Connect with DPC Life Website: ⁠https://dpclife.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/dpclife/⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/dpclife⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dpc-life-podcast⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@thedpclifepodcast⁠ Connect with Anne: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gonzalez-dpc/⁠ Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: ⁠https://dpclife.com/club⁠

  8. Oct 6

    The Bad Business Decisions That Built a 1,500-Patient Direct Primary Care Practice with Dr. Charles Opperman - Part 1

    Is age-based pricing really the only way to run a Direct Primary Care practice? Dr. Charles Opperman, internist and founder of Simplicity Health in Ohio, didn't think so. He planned his Direct Primary Care practice during COVID while his hospital system made him sit in an empty office from 8:00 to 5:00, and he built it on memberships priced by access instead of age. Six years later, Simplicity Health has 1,500 patients and four physicians, even after an online post about his tiered model drew comments saying it was "certain to fail." His approach charges more for cell phone access and a concierge tier, not for being older, so an 80-year-old who never texts isn't paying more than a 30-year-old who does. After his DPC Summit talk on running a thriving practice while making "bad business decisions," Dr. Anne Gonzalez sat down with him to answer the questions other physicians sent in about his tiers, his concierge option, how he pays and recruits physicians, and the mistakes he'd avoid if he started over. IN THIS EPISODE What is tiered Direct Primary Care pricing, and how is it different from age-based pricing? How do you decide what to charge for cell phone access? Why add a concierge tier to a Direct Primary Care practice? How do you keep track of multiple membership tiers? What pricing mistakes should new Direct Primary Care practices avoid? How do you recruit physicians to a growing Direct Primary Care practice? Should a Direct Primary Care practice use the word "concierge" in its marketing? If you're a physician launching or growing a Direct Primary Care practice and figuring out how to price your memberships, this conversation is one you'll want to hear. About Dr. Charles Opperman Dr. Charles Opperman is an internal medicine physician and the owner and founder of Simplicity Health Direct Primary Care in Ohio, which he opened in 2020. Email: drcharlesopperman@gmail.com Website: https://www.simplicityhealthdpc.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/simplicityhealthdpcFB: https://www.facebook.com/SimplicityHealthDPC/ Full show notes and transcript: dpclife.com/episode/55-charles-opperman Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com/club Direct Primary Care resources: https://dpclife.com/startPractice Audit: https://24-7-bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/audit ENJOY THIS EPISODE? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps other Direct Primary Care physicians find the show. Share with any physician who is rethinking how to price their Direct Primary Care memberships. Subscribe so you do not miss the next episode. 🚀 Pre-launch or in your first year of Direct Primary Care? The Early Practice Plan is the Harmony Ops program I built for physicians who are still figuring out the systems, the messaging, and the day-to-day of running a new practice. You get operations, patient flow, CRM, and the marketing foundation that carries you through year one. $99 per 28 days for your first three billing cycles, then $349/cycle. New to Direct Primary Care or just getting started? Check out the Early Practice Plan. 👉 https://bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/earlypp-page Connect with DPC Life Website: https://dpclife.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dpclife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dpclife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dpc-life-podcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thedpclifepodcast Connect with Anne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gonzalez-dpc/ Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com/club

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DPC Life is a podcast for Direct Primary Care physicians building and sustaining an independent practice. Real conversations about the actual work: leaving insurance-based medicine, setting membership pricing, growing a patient panel, and what the first two years of practice ownership look like. Coaching calls and conversations with DPC docs a few steps further along. Whether you are pre-launch, in year one, or established and stuck, you will find peers who have sat where you are sitting. New episodes weekly, free anywhere you get podcasts.

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