20 Questions to Ask Before Joining a Direct Primary Care Practice

What Questions Should You Ask a Direct Primary Care Doctor?

Before you join a direct primary care (DPC) practice, ask how fast you can be seen and reach the doctor, exactly what the monthly fee includes, what labs, medications and imaging cost, how many patients the doctor cares for, and what the written agreement says about enrollment fees, cancellation, refunds and price increases. If you use an HSA or Medicare, ask how the membership fits those rules. Finally, ask how you get your records if you ever leave. The 20 questions below cover each of these, with a short note on why it matters and what a good answer sounds like.

If you are new to the model, what is direct primary care explains the basics, and is direct primary care worth it helps you decide whether a membership makes sense for your budget. This page assumes you have found a practice or two you like and want to compare them properly. Most DPC practices offer a free meet and greet, in person or by video, and these questions are written so you can bring them along.

A good meet and greet should feel relaxed. Practices expect these questions, and the best ones are glad you asked, because members who know what they signed up for tend to stay.

Access and Response Times

Access is the main thing you are paying for, so start here. The answers tell you how the practice actually runs day to day.

1. How soon can I be seen when I'm sick?

Many people join DPC for quick visits, so ask for a real example rather than a promise. A good answer sounds like "most sick visits are same day or next day," along with how they handle a busy week such as flu season.

2. How do I reach the doctor, and how fast do you reply?

Ask which channels you can use (text, portal messages, phone, video) and what the usual reply time is during the day. A good answer names a specific window, such as a few hours on weekdays, and tells you who reads the messages.

3. What happens after hours, on weekends and when the doctor is away?

Some doctors take after-hours messages themselves, some take turns covering nights with another practice, and some ask you to use urgent care at night. Any of these can be fine. What you want is a clear plan, including who covers when the doctor is on vacation.

What's Included in the Membership

The monthly fee covers a defined set of services from that practice. Knowing the edges of that set prevents surprise bills later.

4. Which visits and services are included in the monthly fee?

Ask whether there are limits on the number of visits, and whether things like annual physicals, chronic care visits, minor procedures (such as stitches or skin biopsies) and simple in-office tests are part of the membership. A good practice can hand you a written list.

5. Do you offer video visits or home visits?

Telehealth and home visits are common in DPC, but not universal, and some practices charge extra for home visits. If you travel for work or have trouble getting to appointments, this one matters more than it seems.

6. What isn't included?

Every DPC membership stops somewhere. Emergency room care, hospital stays, surgery and most specialist care sit outside it, so a good answer is honest about that and explains how the practice helps you find and coordinate outside care when you need it.

Labs, Medications and Imaging Prices

Many DPC practices offer discounted labs, wholesale medications and cash prices for imaging. These can save real money, so ask for specifics.

7. What do common labs cost, and are any included?

Ask whether basic labs are included in the membership and what common panels cost when they are not. A good practice shares a price list, or at least prices for the tests you need, such as a cholesterol test (lipid panel) or an A1c, the blood sugar test used for diabetes.

8. Do you dispense medications, and what do they cost?

Some practices sell common generic medications at near wholesale prices right in the office, where state law allows it. Rules on in-office dispensing vary by state (our guide to DPC dispensing, medications and labs explains the basics), so ask whether this practice dispenses and how its prices compare with your pharmacy.

9. Do you have cash prices for imaging and outside tests?

Practices often negotiate cash prices with local imaging centers for X-rays, ultrasounds or MRIs. Ask for a few example prices and whether you pay the imaging center directly, so you know what to expect before you are referred.

The Doctor and the Team

DPC is built on a relationship, so the person matters as much as the price. These questions help you judge fit and capacity.

10. How many patients do you care for, and is there a limit?

A smaller panel (the number of patients a doctor cares for) is what makes same-day visits and long appointments possible. The AAFP's 2026 DPC data brief reports an average panel of 504 patients in 2025 across all 313 of its survey respondents, 53% of them practicing in DPC. A good answer gives you a number and tells you what the practice will do as it grows, such as capping enrollment or adding a clinician.

11. Who will I usually see?

Some practices are one physician, and others include nurse practitioners, physician assistants or several doctors. Ask whether you will have one main clinician and who sees you when that person is booked.

12. Which specialists, hospitals and outside services do you work with?

Your DPC doctor becomes your guide to the rest of the system. A good answer names the specialists and hospitals they often refer to and explains how they share notes and follow up after a referral.

Contract Terms to Read Before You Sign

Ask to read the membership agreement before you pay anything. Many state DPC laws require a written agreement that describes the services and fee, says it is not health insurance, and sets out how cancellation and refunds work, as our guide to direct primary care laws by state explains. Washington's law, for example, requires every direct agreement to include a "this agreement does not provide comprehensive health insurance coverage" disclaimer under RCW 48.150.110.

13. Is there an enrollment fee, and is it refundable?

Enrollment or registration fees are common. When our DPC pricing report checked on October 29, 2026, 55.4% of practices in the Tabflows DPC Finder with current published prices listed one on their website. Ask the amount, what it covers, whether it is waived during promotions and whether you pay it again if you leave and come back.

14. How do I cancel, and do I get a refund?

Ask how much notice you need to give, whether there is a minimum commitment (some practices ask for 12 months), and whether unused prepaid fees are refunded. In Washington, RCW 48.150.030 requires a practice that collects fees in advance to promptly refund unearned fees, prorated, after you give written notice. Your state may have its own rule, and the agreement should spell it out either way.

15. How often do prices go up, and how much notice do you give?

A good practice tells you how often it has raised prices and how it lets members know. The same Washington section, RCW 48.150.030, requires at least 60 days' notice of a fee change and limits increases for existing patients to once a year, which is a reasonable benchmark to ask about even if you live elsewhere.

16. How do you price families, and is there a family cap?

Many practices charge less for children and more for older adults, and some cap the total for a household. For a sense of typical pricing, here is what the DPC Finder data shows.

Across the 1,351 practices on the DPC Finder that post a monthly membership price, the typical starting price is $99 a month, from $15 to $500, and the middle half start between $75 and $125.

In our DPC pricing report, from Tabflows DPC Finder records most last checked in September 2026, queried October 29, 2026, the median first child's price was about $49 a month and the median tier for one adult 65 and older was about $110, leaving out family packages, sibling rates, tiers for people under 65, couples' plans and prices under 10 dollars a month. Counting sibling rates too, such as a second or additional child, the median child price is about $40.

Ask the practice for its exact family price, and see what direct primary care costs by state to compare with practices near you. Our guide to direct primary care for families covers this in more depth.

Insurance, HSAs and Medicare

DPC sits alongside insurance, not in place of it. These three questions keep you from tripping over a tax or coverage rule.

17. Do I still need health insurance?

For most people, yes. A DPC membership covers primary care, and insurance covers emergencies, hospital care and serious illness. A good practice will say so plainly and may suggest pairing the membership with a high-deductible or catastrophic plan. Our guide on what insurance to pair with DPC walks through the options. If your employer offers DPC as a benefit, ask HR how it works, since Hint's Trends in DPC 2026 report says nearly 60% of memberships are employer-paid.

18. Does this membership work with my HSA?

Since January 1, 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21) lets people with a qualifying DPC arrangement pay the membership from a health savings account. To qualify, some services, such as most prescription drugs, have to sit outside the membership. A separate rule decides whether you can keep contributing to your HSA while you are a member, and for that the fees also have to stay at or under a monthly limit.

For 2027, IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-24 keeps that limit at 150 dollars a month for one person and 300 dollars a month for a membership covering more than one person. Above it, IRS Notice 2026-5 says your HSA can still pay the fee, but you can't make new contributions while you are enrolled.

Ask the practice whether its membership is designed to qualify, and read our guide to DPC and HSA rules for 2027 for the details. A tax advisor can confirm your own situation.

19. I have Medicare. How does that work here?

Ask whether the doctor has opted out of Medicare. If they have, you will sign a private contract, and federal rules at 42 CFR 405.415 say it must be in writing, be signed by you and the doctor, state that Medicare will not pay for that doctor's services, note that Medigap plans will not pay either, and give the dates of the doctor's two-year opt-out period. You keep the right to use Medicare with any other doctor who has not opted out.

If the doctor has not opted out, ask how they handle Medicare-covered services alongside the membership. Also keep in mind that once you are enrolled in Medicare you generally can no longer contribute to an HSA, per IRS Publication 969. Our guide to direct primary care for seniors on Medicare covers the choices in more depth.

Records and Leaving

It is a good sign when a practice talks about your exit as easily as your welcome. Life changes, and you should be able to move on cleanly.

20. How do I get my records if I leave or move?

Your records belong in your hands. HHS explains on its right of access page that you have the right to see and get copies of your health information, usually in the format you ask for. A doctor normally has up to 30 days to provide them, may charge a reasonable fee (not a per-page fee for electronic records), and cannot deny you access because of an unpaid bill.

A good answer here is simple. The practice tells you how to request records, how it sends them to a new doctor, and that your portal access lets you download your own information along the way. Asking now also tells you how organized the practice is, and practices with well-connected systems usually answer without hesitation.

Printable Checklist of DPC Questions

Bring this to your meet and greet. Jot the practice's answer beside each one so you can compare two or three practices side by side later.

Signs You've Found a Good Fit

After the meet and greet, think about how the conversation felt as well as what was said. A good practice answers these questions directly, puts its prices and agreement in writing, and does not pressure you to sign on the spot. The doctor listens, asks about your health history and goals, and explains how they would handle the issues you care about most.

It also helps to notice how smoothly the practice runs behind the scenes. Quick replies, clear follow-ups after a visit and an easy records process usually mean the practice's tools work well together. Some practices use Tabflows, a dedicated tech team that connects the tools a clinic already uses (its records system, billing and messaging) so follow-ups and tasks don't slip between them, but plenty of good practices manage this in their own way. What matters to you is that messages get answered and nothing is forgotten.

Find a DPC Practice Near You

If you are still looking, the Tabflows DPC Finder lists direct primary care practices across the country with their published prices, so you can shortlist a few and book meet and greets. Bring this checklist, take notes, and choose the practice where the answers and the relationship both feel right.

This page is general information, not medical, legal or tax advice. Check the membership agreement and your own insurance and HSA details before you sign.