I have Medicare. Why should I join a Direct Primary Care practice?

Writer: Anne Gonzalez

May 20, 2021

2 min read

Updated: August 7, 2026

What was going to the doctor like when you were growing up? If you were born before 1965 when President Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law, going to the doctor was very different for you as a child or young person.

When you were sick, do you recall ever having to wait 2 weeks or more for an appointment with your doctor? Did you always see your doctor or did you see a new nurse practitioner or PA every time? What about now? When you call your doctor's office, do you get a person or a phone tree? How long does it take before you get a call back? Once you get an appointment, do you end up waiting 45 minutes in the waiting room because your doctor is running behind? Can you discuss all of your issues at one visit, or does your doctor make you come back for multiple appointments to address them separately?

Did you know that most Primary Care doctors see 16-25+ patients a day and have a patient panel of 2000-3000 if they work full time. We were spoiled at A Woman's View and saw the lower end of that number of patients, but I still ran 1/2 hour to 1 hour behind schedule every day.

Now compare a modern day fee-for-service doctor's office with a Direct Primary Care practice. Dr. Kelly and I are sharing a full-time practice so each of us will only have 250 patients. If you are sick, we can see you the same day or the next day. We will only see one patient at a time so you won't have to sit a waiting room full of people. We can conduct phone visits or video visits when appropriate. We can spend 30-60 minutes with you every time that you come to see us. That's more time to address your needs and work towards your health care goals. Our goal is to spend the time necessary to give you the highest quality care when you need it.

--Anne Gonzalez, MD with Emerald Health Direct Primary Care, Hickory NC