Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Study: Massachusetts Should Embrace Direct Healthcare Options

New Pioneer Institute report shows approach to investing in primary care yields lower costs, greater efficiency and increased patient satisfaction


News provided by

Pioneer Institute

Jan 26, 2021, 09:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

Direct Health Care Agreements: A New Option for Patient-Centered Care That Costs Less and Reduces Provider Burnout
Direct Health Care Agreements: A New Option for Patient-Centered Care That Costs Less and Reduces Provider Burnout

BOSTON, Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Especially in the COVID era, many are looking to alleviate the increased burden on the healthcare system. One solution is direct healthcare (DHC), which can provide more patient-centered care at affordable prices and is an effective model to increase access to care for the uninsured, underinsured and those on public programs like Medicaid, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.

"This approach to investing in primary care has been shown to reduce costs, emergency room visits, inpatient care and visits to specialists, all while increasing patients' satisfaction with their care," said Josh Archambault, co-author with Greg George of "Direct Health Care Agreements: A New Option for Patient-Centered Care That Costs Less and Reduces Provider Burnout."

"This approach to investing in primary care has been shown to reduce costs, emergency room visits, inpatient care and visits to specialists, all while increasing patients’ satisfaction with their care." - Josh Archambault, Senior Fellow, Pioneer Institute.

Post this

Under DHC, patients pay practices a set monthly fee that covers a prearranged universe of services. It is most common in primary care, but can be used for other types of care such as physical therapy, behavioral and mental health, and dentistry. There are currently 1,200 direct primary care (DPC) practices in the U.S., at least 16 of which are in Massachusetts.

For primary care, patients begin by choosing their provider, then purchase a complementary insurance plan. They can usually buy a much less expensive plan with a higher deductible because they have access to so many services through DPC.

DPC agreements commonly include:

  • Unlimited office visits
  • Home visits
  • Same- or next-day appointment availability
  • Longer visit durations
  • Annual physicals
  • Vaccinations
  • Routine lab tests
  • Stitches and splintering or casting of fractured or broken bones
  • Help navigating the rest of the healthcare system
  • 24/7 emergency triage support

Some agreements include access to generic prescription drugs at near wholesale prices. Many DPC physicians give patients their personal cell phone numbers.

In 2018, nearly 80 percent of DPC subscription fees were between $51 and $99 per month, and costs have been stable over time. About 60 percent of patients who belong to a DPC practice have an annual household income of $95,000 or less.

One DPC provider shared the story of an uninsured 30-year-old man who pays $648 a year for access to the direct primary care practice.
Since joining the practice the patient has suffered from a serious sinus infection, recurrence of cellulitis with abscesses that required draining, had multiple musculoskeletal injuries due to a car crash, and needed an x-ray for a possible femur fracture. The only additional cost to the patient for treatment of all these ailments was a $60 x-ray and inexpensive antibiotics. All other care was provided for under the $648. If he had sought care at the emergency room for any of the ailments, his bill for one visit would have been two or three times that amount.

There are no deductibles, co-pays or third-party insurance claims. The transparency and lack of surprise bills address the issue of those who don't see their doctors because of uncertainty over the cost.

DPC patients have an average of four, 35-minute visits a year with their physician. Under the typical fee-for-service model, patients have 1.66 visits annually and spend around 15 minutes per visit with their physician.

DHC also results in far less physician burnout. "Status quo" providers currently report spending around a third of their day on administrative tasks, by contrast direct care providers spend much more time with patients because there is no paperwork to fill out for insurers.

DHC could help a number of patient groups. Access to same- or next-day appointments could be particularly helpful to MassHealth members.
Pre-pandemic, the average wait for a doctor's appointment in Boston was 50 days, and many providers don't accept Medicaid.

Older adults on Medicare who often have trouble finding transportation to medical appointments could benefit from the home visits usually included in DPC agreements and from the more personal management of chronic illnesses that comes with longer and more frequent appointments.

A study published in the American Journal of Primary Care found that a small subset of direct health care arrangements studied resulted in a $119.4 million decrease in preventable hospital use in these practices in New York, Florida, Virginia, Arizona and Nevada. Over 90 percent of the savings – $2,551 per patient – came from Medicare patients.

DHC also offers an innovative option for small businesses. Superior Packaging and Finishing in Braintree saved $370,000 in a year, or over $4,300 per enrolled employee, when the company switched to offering a DPC plan to its employees.

Archambault urges the Commonwealth to take four steps to embrace DHC:
1. Division of Insurance guidance should be updated to match 35 other states by clarifying that any form of direct care should not be regulated like insurance. If there was clear support, the Legislature could codify this standard.
2. The Group Insurance Commission should embrace direct health care arrangements for public employees and offer it as a lower-cost option.
3. MassHealth should explore DHC arrangements, especially for some of the sickest patients on the program.
4. The Legislature could consider requiring that insurance companies offer at least one product to consumers that wraps around DHC arrangements, especially DPC. This reform would introduce a new, less-expensive option for consumers, as the product would have a higher deductible than most plans currently offered in Massachusetts.

Josh Archambault is a Senior Fellow at Pioneer Institute. Prior to joining Pioneer, Josh was selected as a Health Policy Fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. In the past, Josh served as a Legislative Director in the Massachu­setts State Senate and as Senior Legislative Aide in the Governor's Office of Legislative Affairs. His work has appeared or been cited in outlets such as USA Today, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fox News, NPR, Boston Herald and The Boston Globe. He is the editor and coauthor of The Great Experiment: The States, The Feds, and Your Healthcare. Josh holds a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School and a BA in Political Studies and Economics from Gordon College.

Greg George is the health policy and state affairs advisor for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Prior to joining Mackinac, Greg served as a senior research fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability. He has also been a policy advisor for the Michigan House of Representatives and legislative director for the Michigan Speaker Pro Tempore. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Hillsdale College and a Master of Business Administration from Western Michigan University.

About Pioneer

Pioneer's mission is to develop and communicate dynamic ideas that advance prosperity and a vibrant civic life in Massachusetts and beyond.
Pioneer's vision of success is a state and nation where our people can prosper and our society thrive because we enjoy world-class options in education, healthcare, transportation and economic opportunity, and where our government is limited, accountable and transparent.
Pioneer values an America where our citizenry is well-educated and willing to test our beliefs based on facts and the free exchange of ideas, and committed to liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise.

Media Contact

Micaela Dawson, Pioneer Institute, 6177232277, [email protected]

Twitter

SOURCE Pioneer Institute

Related Links

http://pioneerinstitute.org

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.