FAQs
What is NOT a part of DPC?
Emergency services: We do our best to avoid these cases but sometimes you may need emergent care they we cannot provide. These instances include things like heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and major trauma. This is why we encourage all our members to have health insurance.
Hospital-based care: Unfortunately if you are admitted to the hospital, we will not be allowed to be your treating physician. However, we are allowed to contact the physician caring for you while in the hospital and assure you are getting the care you need. We make sure they know your conditions and that you are getting the care you deserve. We also love visiting our members while they are in the hospital, talking to them and their families to assure everyone's questions and concerns are addressed.
Major surgeries and procedures: We leave the surgeries to the surgeons. Examples include joint replacement, abdominal surgeries, or cardiothoracic surgery. Although we won’t be in the operating room, we can discuss your case with the surgeon and help choose a surgeon that is best for your needs. We can also help guide you after your surgery with any questions that arise and focus on preventing the surgery when we can!
Prenatal care, labor, and delivery: While we do provide family planning counseling, pregnancy tests, and can answer most questions or concerns that come up during your pregnancy, we do not provide primary prenatal care or deliver babies. We are trained in prenatal care, labor, and delivery and therefore will still be here for you throughout the journey to answer questions when your OBGYN may be unavailable. This comes in very handy when there are urgent questions after hours.
Chronic opiate therapy: We do not carry opiates or narcotics in our office due to federal and state regulations.
What if I’m hospitalized?
If you are hospitalized, the hospital doctor will care for you during your stay. Dr. Green no longer does hospital work but will be able to communicate with you and your hospital doctor to assure you are being well taken care of and all of your medical history is known by the hospital doctor. After discharge, we will obtain hospital records and schedule an appointment to see you in the office or at your home to make sure everything is on the right track to your full recovery. We often will stop by to visit our members while they are in the hospital to assure they are feeling better and answer any questions they or their families may have.
Does this really save me money?
YES! There are no copays, medications for pennies a pill, labs for just a couple of dollars, and procedures at 90% off typical pricing. Plus, save hundreds to thousands of dollars by preventing ED visits, urgent care visits, and hospitalizations. We've negotiated amazing deals for prescription medications, blood tests, X-rays, and MRI/CT scans on your behalf. If we had contracts with insurance companies, we would be legally obligated to charge higher prices.
Most DPC patients find a high-deductible, low-premium insurance plan so they're covered in the case of a major health issue like cancer, hospitalizations, or severe injury. But, leave your day to day healthcare to us and save money!
Will I benefit if I rarely see a doctor?
Of course! The longer you're our patient, the more we learn about your health and lifestyle, and the better we can help you maintain that health. And then, when you do need a doctor, we are right here for you by a quick phone call. Everyone benefits from a service tailored directly to them. That’s why we offer truly custom healthcare. We’re here for you if you're sick or hurt, but we also help you proactively maintain good overall health.
Do you take insurance?
No. We do recommend our patients have insurance for the big stuff like emergencies and major surgeries but we work with you DIRECTLY and do not work with insurances.
Does Dr. Green do dermatology work?
Yes. Dr Green can handle most dermatology needs in the office. He routinely performs skin checks on patients and if he thinks a spot needs attention he will provide it. He performs cryotherapy for wart and skin tag removal, which is covered under your monthly payment. If something is more suspicious, he will biopsy the site and send it to a pathologist to review. To have a sample biopsied runs about $75 and that is only for the pathology fee to read the sample; we do not bill for anything else. The procedure Dr. Green does is included in your membership. If the report comes back abnormal or requires further work up, Dr. Green will refer you to a dermatologist. Either way, he will promptly follow up with you with the results.
What if I need a specialist?
We are partnered with Afya, which allows us to quickly and easily consult with top specialists at no additional cost to you. This can eliminate the need for some specialty care and save you time and money. Of course, there may be times when you need further specialty care. When this is the case, we work with you to find the best specialist and coordinate your care.
Is this concierge medicine?
No, not exactly. Direct Primary Care was created to offer a higher level of service at an affordable monthly price, without billing insurance companies. Both concierge medicine and direct primary care strive to improve the experience you have at the doctors office by making care more personal and taking more time to listen. DPC was created with affordability in mind while offering accessible, personal care. The model accomplishes this while saving the patient money by cutting cost, removing the middlemen, and preventing urgent care visits and hospitalizations. Concierge Medicine, in contrast, is typically very expensive and still bills insurance companies for all services. In the Concierge Medicine model, the patient pays a high annual fee which most of the time only includes access and does not include any office visits, procedures, nor reduced prices on medications, labs, or imaging.
What if I decide to cancel?
We hope to have a personal, honest, and long-lasting, open relationship with our patients. But, we understand things happen. We are month to month and there is no contract. If you decide to cancel, there will be one more billing cycle and I will remain your doctor for 30 days after the last payment. We do not want you to stay if you do not like our practice.
If you decide to re-join, you will be asked to pay the registration fee.
Are my medical records or personal information ever shared?
Absolutely not. We maintain high standards of patient privacy. We will never provide your health information to any third party unless you specifically ask that we do so.
Does Dr. Green do gynecological exams in the office?
Yes he is well trained and comfortable performing gynecological exams, including Pap smears, with the consent of the patient. If the patient is uncomfortable having this done in our office, they can be referred out with out problem and with complete understanding. It is just a service we provide to appropriate patients to add to the value of membership. The only fee associated with the exam or Pap smear is the pathology read. Caravel Health does not charge anything additional for the procedure. There is not a female chaperone in our office. Women are encouraged to bring a friend or relative, if this makes them feel more comfortable.