Technology to Scale Your DPC: The 5 Pillars of Growth
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is revolutionizing healthcare by prioritizing the patient-physician relationship and delivering high-value care. The DPC movement is growing rapidly, with a three-fold increase in family physicians practicing in DPC from 2022 to 2023, and DPC practices established in all 50 states. As practices mature, they often expand into multi-site operations, larger teams, and diverse revenue streams, including employer contracts.
However, scaling a DPC practice demands a different approach to technology. Growth introduces more complex workflows, multi-site operational challenges, and a greater need for analytics and reporting, especially for employer contracts.
The right technology stack is the strategic partner for operational growth, enabling quality care across diverse sites, teams, and revenue streams, while simultaneously streamlining operating costs and reducing cognitive load for clinicians.
To navigate this growth and ensure continued success, DPC practices should build their technology around the 5 Pillars Framework for Scaling DPC:
PILLAR 1
Expanding Patient Panels & Revenue Technology is key to driving business growth, supporting not only direct patient enrollment but also more complex models like employer contracts, cash-based services, and parallel service lines. A robust tech stack facilitates efficient patient onboarding and supports the operational dependencies of growth (e.g., contracting).
PILLAR 2
Care Coordination & Panel Management Scaling requires moving beyond managing one patient at a time to proactively managing entire populations. Your technology should support:
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Care Team Collaboration & Task Management: Essential for coordinating follow-ups and shared responsibilities.
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Proactive Outreach: Tools for automated, targeted patient engagement.
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Risk Stratification and Intervention: Identifying and proactively intervening with high-risk patients.
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Interoperability: Seamless data exchange to close-the-loop on follow-ups and manage external referrals.
PILLAR 3
Data, Analytics & Return on Investment (ROI) Employer contracts and value-based relationships demand data-driven insights. The right technology must:
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Track Performance: Monitor utilization, outcomes, and costs.
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Population Management: Identify trends and manage specific patient cohorts.
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Demonstrate Value: Provide the data needed to prove ROI to stakeholders and meet employer contract requirements.
PILLAR 4
Multi-Site & Multi-Team Operations As DPC practices grow beyond a single location, the technology must unify operations. This includes:
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Scalable Scheduling & Workflows: Standardized processes that work across different sites.
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Shared Resources & Communication: Tools for team communication across locations and for managing shared resources.
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Inventory Management: Efficiently track and manage inventory for in-office supplies, medications, and supplements across all sites.
PILLAR 5
AI & Customization The future of DPC technology is intelligent, flexible, and adaptive. Look for features like:
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AI-Powered Insights: Clinical Decision Support, summaries, and point-of-care insights to reduce cognitive load and supercharge clinical excellence.
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Workflow Automation: Intelligent inbox management and task automation to streamline operations.
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Predictive Analytics: Tools for panel management and dynamic scheduling.
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Open Architecture (APIs): Essential for building a customized tech ecosystem that integrates third-party tools as your practice's needs evolve.
By focusing on these five pillars, DPC practices can build a technology foundation that supports their mission of delivering affordable, efficient, relationship-based care at any scale. Choosing a clinical-first Electronic Health Record (EHR) that is AI-powered and open for customization is no longer a luxury—it is the strategic imperative for DPC leaders building the future of primary care.
Ready to scale your DPC practice without sacrificing the patient relationship?