Direct primary care emerges in post-reform world.

If American primary care is broken, direct primary care is a crucial strategy for restoring its integrity.

By Ryan Liabenow

DECEMBER 16, 2014 –Direct primary care (DPC) is a disruptive concept in which payments for basic healthcare remain entirely outside the health insurance networks. But the efficiency of this delivery model makes it an appealing choice for self-funded health plans, while also yielding improvements in treatment outcomes and provider experience.

How health plans benefit

Self-insured businesses need to take advantage of every avenue for cost-savings, and statistics repeatedly demonstrate that the best return on health spending comes from increased access to primary care. As an example, Forbes profiled three self-insured employers who work with a disruptive concept (DPC) provider and have seen lower absenteeism and employee stress levels, improved employee morale, and a 10 to 40 percent drop in emergency room visits.

In just the first…