DPC is a new healthcare model where patients get direct and easy access to their doctor and enhanced quality care for a membership fee.  The contract is directly between you and your doctor, there is no insurance involved so there is no guessing game in the services you get or the price you pay.  There is no co-pay and no deductible. Your visits can be booked for the same day or over the next day, rather than waiting for weeks or months before being seen. You will have 30-60 minutes of visit time with your doctor, or longer, as needed. If you travel or if you are not able to be seen in person for any number of reasons, your doctor will be able to meet with you over the phone or on a video platform from wherever you are for no additional fee saving you a  potential trip to an urgent care. The vast majority of DPC doctors give you their cell phone number so you don’t have to wait until the front desk passes on your messages to your doctor.

Eighty to 90% of medical conditions can be effectively addressed by a primary care doctor. Unfortunately, in the traditional primary care model doctors are restricted to spending only about 15 minutes per each patient, regardless of the needs of each patient. This time constraint has the potential to compromise the quality of care a doctor can provide, is often frustrating to patients and may increase unnecessary referrals and tests patients are asked to undergo.

Your DPC doctor will give you all the time you need to address your issues adequately, at no additional cost. Because DPC doctors have a much smaller number of patients on their panels, typically you’ll be able to book a same-day or next-day appointment, and can be seen with minimal or no wait time. Your membership fee includes some simple diagnostics (e.g. strep tests, urine tests, spirometry etc) as well as simple procedures such as wart removal, breathing treatments ear wax removal etc, at no additional cost. If there are any additional charges associated with tests, they will be listed on the transparent pricing page. For all tests that are done outside of the clinic, such as radiology services, discounted rates will be negotiated on behalf of cash paying patients.

Services provided by direct primary care practices vary. Talk to the DPC practices near you to understand exactly what their memberships include. In general, DPC practices provide:

• Treatment of common everyday problems like colds, flu, strep throat, rashes, burns, joint injuries, and other wounds.
• Preventative screenings, like referral for colonoscopies, pap smears, and in-house EKGs.
• Management of chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or thyroid disorder. 
• Some may provide a number of additional services including minor in-clinic procedures such as joint injections, stiches etc, nutrition counseling, athletic performance testing (VO2 max). These services are often offered for a small additional fee.
• Referral to a specialist care. If you have a medical issue that can’t be handled by your primary care physician, you’ll be referred to a doctor that can continue your treatment. And your DPC doctor will work closely with the specialist to make sure there is seamless continuity of care.
• Annual full-body physical exam and laboratory tests. Often, your doctor will do a comprehensive review of systems at your very first in-person appointment and yearly thereafter.
• Continuity of care. If you get admitted to a hospital your doctor will help your continuity of care by taking active role in your care throughout.

The typical monthly fee varies slightly based on the DPC practice and the included services but the access and the quality of care you receive at DPC clinics cannot be had anywhere else in the traditional care model.

The price is unbeatable for the value you get. 

Most DPC practices have an established relationship with local laboratories and radiology centers. That means you can get blood tests, pathology screens, X-rays, MRIs, and more for low cash prices. Some DPC practices dispense medications in-house near-wholesale prices, so you can both save money and avoid extra trips to the pharmacy. 

Yes. Let’s go over some common scenarios where a DPC membership can save you money.

• As a DPC patient, the majority of your healthcare will be taken care of by your DPC doctor. There are no co-pays, no deductibles and there are the additional built-in saving also discussed above. Hence, most DPC patients save a lot by choosing a lower premium/high deductive insurance plan. If you have a lower deductible, but higher premium health plan you may be paying a lot of money monthly for insurance while never needing to receive the insurance coverage for an expensive hospitalization or specialty care. If you end up having a serious illness or have a case that requires hospitalization or expensive specialized care you are likely to hit a higher deductible fast which makes a lower premium but higher deductible a cost effective way for DPC patients who choose to keep their traditional insurance.
• If you develop an acute illness such as food poisoning or have an insect bite, you may end up going to an urgent care or to the emergency room which can cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars. Your DPC membership gives you the option to call your doctor for a consultation that could save you that trip and a lot of money. Please note that there are some urgent cases for which your DPC doctor would still recommend for you to go to a higher level of care for your own safety but you will have the opportunity to make that decision together with a doctor who knows you and whose clinical judgment you trust.
• The goal of DPC practice is to give patients  access to unhurried, high quality health care service from their doctors that focuses on their whole being whenever patients need it. By addressing health concerns on a timely and comprehensive manner and by taking active role in simplifying a complex health delivery system on behalf of their patients, DPC doctors will save not only individual patients but also the entire healthsystem a significant amount of money.
• For a monthly fee of <$200 you will have  your doctor at your fingertips, without co-pay or deductible. Imagine how much it would cost if a patient had this type of access and benefit to their regular doctor using the conventional payment models. 
• If you’re taking multiple medications and paying with insurance for all of them, your co-pays are probably stacking up. Direct primary care practices that dispense common medications directly from their offices, will save you an extra trip to the pharmacy. Plus, your DPC doctor will purchase these medications at wholesale prices from a free-market vendor and they pass those savings through to you. The value of this service depends on which medications you’re taking. Your insurance provider may cover a drug from a particular drug manufacturer,  even though a cheaper generic alternative may be on the market. If that’s the case you can easily be paying hundreds of dollars a month on medications—money you could save as a DPC member.

You may have heard of a similar model called “concierge medicine”. While there are similarities with DPC, the main difference is concierge practices often bill insurance companies in addition to a monthly fee paid by the patient. On average Concierge medicine practices cost more than DPC practices. 

At Saliglasa, we provider concierge level of care in a DPC model.

Yes, we still recommend that you get a health insurance, a high deductible health plan with lower premium is most suited for those who join a DPC practice. See above.

Your DPC membership is not an insurance plan; you’ll still need insurance if you have a major health problem that may require seeing a specialist, an admission to a hospital or a visit to the emergency room. Don’t forget though, your DPC doctor will be there to assist in the coordination of care every step of the way . 

Recently, some alternatives to traditional insurance companies have been gaining in popularity. You may actually be able to save money by joining a healthcare cost-sharing community. To learn more about how these communities go hand-in-hand with DPC, check out Sedera Health as an example.

Absolutely. Your DPC doctor will work with you to keep you healthy, and will partner with you to craft a wellness plan that will keep you active and in good health through your golden years. Investing in preventive health plan including in the areas of your diet, exercise, mental health and sleep habits is like your financial investments for your retirement- you can “cash” both of them out when the time comes.

“Saliglasa” is a unique word crafted by combining letters of names with associated characteristics that represent wisdom, intellect, peace, justice, and curiosity.

For Saliglasa’s founder, Dr. Kebede, these are values of great significance, both personally and globally.

In addition to the wisdom and intellect achieved through scientific knowledge, we revere the body’s own astonishing wisdom and intellect.

We believe that peace of mind is a fundamental part of our overall health.

We stand for what is just, including healthcare for all, while maintaining peace.

We maintain curiosity and embrace opportunities to learn new things in our efforts to improve the health of individuals.

Once you are convinced of the value of joining a DPC membership your next task is to learn more about Saliglasa. Our mission is service excellence and patient engagment. Please read more on how we plan to care for you in the “About” section and don’t forget to schedule a FREE 15 minute video consultation to help you determine if we are the right fit for you. We look forward to welcoming you on board!

No. Although we are primarily a membership based medical clinic, we do offer non-member medical services, based on availability for specific medical concerns. Our non-member services include focused medical care (acute or chronic), comprehensive medical exam and preventive care as well as full medical record review services where we will summarize the details of your record in layman’s terms and provide you with electronic data that you can keep with you for future updates (Please read more on non-member services under the “Services”menu).

The medical record review service is one of our signature offerings to members and non-members alike. We are excited to help all patients get clarity on their  medical history which is the foundation for their  active engagement in their own health. 

If you are ready to be a member, just go to pricing page and sign up today! If you want more information  you could also schedule a 15 minute FREE video session with Dr. Kebede.

If you choose to be a member we highly encourage you to commit to at least 3-months of membership. Here is why:

At Saliglasa, besides premium medical care, we provide crucial services like patient engagement and health literacy enhancement interventions. These services will be mostly concentrated during the first 3-months of your membership. Our experience has taught us that obtaining medical records, organizing, reviewing and summarizing takes time. As does the process of health literacy enhancement sessions, building rapport and clarifying individual patients’ wishes and values before crafting a personalized treatment and health plan.   

This is related to Medicare’s rules surrounding reimbursable benefits for covered services. We currently have a waiting list for Medicare beneficiaries who are interested in our services and we hope you sign up!

No and Yes.

Saliglasa has 3 main service lines:

1. Direct primary care services to subscribing members. We don’t work with health insurance companies. All our services are included in the membership fees.
2. Primary care and patient engagement services to non members. We don’t work with health insurance companies. Individuals pay for select services at the time of service.
3. Consulting services in quality improvement and patient engagement. we offer this service to several organizations including insurance companies. This option allows us to partner with organizations in health outcome improvement efforts on behalf of those individuals who may not be able to afford our membership services on their own.