FAQ

Direct primary care (DPC) is a healthcare model where patients pay a monthly fee directly to their primary care physician for comprehensive services, bypassing insurance. This direct relationship fosters personalized care, better access to your doctor by a variety of convenient means, all with transparent pricing. This ultimately leads to improved health outcomes, lower costs, and higher patient satisfaction.

Though we encourage our patients to keep health insurance for hospitalizations, expensive tests, consultations, or surgeries, we don’t bill your insurance for the care we provide. The membership fee pays for almost all of your primary care. By offering labs and medications apart from the inflated insurance prices, we can often provide these for lower costs than if you paid with your insurance. Anything not covered by your membership fee (labs, Rx meds, splints and supplies) is sharply discounted and transparently priced. You may be able to choose a lower cost insurance option, reducing your monthly insurance premium. Most importantly, direct care removes insurance companies from between you and your doctor, simplifying your care.

Of course! This has been the most common misunderstanding thus far about DPC. Though Wellspring Direct Care doesn't bill your insurance for our services, your insurance is still in place as usual for anything else you would normally use it for. (For labs* or tests outside of office, for other physicians you see, the ER, etc. or medications purchased at your pharmacy). *We can offer you the option of direct pricing and billing of labs ordered through our office at Labcorp, at sharply discounted prices, if it is cheaper than processing it through your insurance.

This question is to be answered only if your employer is PAYING FOR all or part of your membership. If so, then list your employers business name. Otherwise leave it blank. Otherwise, it is not where you work, or your health insurance company.

The answer lies in the quality of care by the doctor and model of care that DPC allows. DPC is described in detail elsewhere on the website. Dr Ellis has several decades of experience in providing care across a spectrum of illness and injuries, as well as providing preventive care and procedural care in rural and suburban areas, in the office, in the hospital, and in the ER, in the US and overseas. He is board certified in Family Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Care. Dr. Ellis is committed to spending adequate time with his patients and providing them unparalleled comprehensive primary care and access. He loves working through root causes of problems and developing common sense answers to patients questions. His passion is that patients would feel they have had the best healthcare experience they have ever had (and they often say this!). For this reason, he created Wellspring Direct Care to enable him to continue to provide this level of care.

For the listed insurance plans, unfortunately, the answer is "No." Please read the following carefully: For most patients, we can order tests, labs, and refer to other providers without issues. However, certain policies require a referral from your in-network PCP for consultations and some tests (e.g., MRIs). Some states have banned these restrictive practices, but they remain a challenge in others. We find coordinating care difficult for patients with these plans, therefore we discourage enrollment from those with such policies. Patients with these plans who still may wish to join Wellspring MUST ALSO ALREADY have an in-network PCP for routine and urgent referrals and tests requiring precertification. Please consult with me before enrolling or continuing as a member if you have one of these plans. If your plan is one of those specific plans listed above, email us at Hello@WellspringDirect.com to initiate discussion before enrolling. Consider whether there are alternative insurance options that would better support our care model. College students with such plans may find a workable solution if they can also stay connected with their PCP back home. If so, we will gladly supply that physician with your health summary to make their job easier, and request that you provide our contact info to the consultants that they communicate back to us."

Direct Primary Care (DPC) and Concierge Medicine offer personalized care and overlap in many ways, but sometimes differ in payment and access. DPC involves a monthly or periodic fee for comprehensive care without billing insurance, while Concierge Medicine typically adds a retainer fee on top of insurance. The fees for DPC are typically much lower than the retainer for Concierge care.

Patients pay a flat monthly or periodic fee directly to Wellspring that covers all or almost all the cost of their care, avoiding copayments and deductibles for each interaction of care. Additionally, we have negotiated discounted rates for many generic medications and for most laboratory tests, passing those savings directly to you. We can also focus on ways to potentially save money on your existing prescriptions that you fill elsewhere. By focusing on managing health conditions effectively and emphasizing preventive care, we can potentially lower downstream costs. Rather than rushing to order still "more tests" we can carefully consider your needs and potentially reduce unnecessary testing and medications, yielding significant savings. By providing improved access to care, patients can avoid costly urgent care and emergency room visits. Moreover, transparent pricing allows patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare, avoiding unnecessary expenses and promoting cost- effective care.

Yes. You just need to sign a waiver every two years declaring that neither you nor your doctor (me at Wellspring) will directly bill Medicare for OUR services. Charges by other entities apart from Wellspring can still be submitted to Medicare for reimbursement for any other doctors you see, laboratory testing, imaging obtained outside of our office, medications prescribed, or hospitalizations, just as before. What about Medicare Annual Wellness Visits (MAWV)? Since your care at Wellspring is already covered by your membership fee, we can provide this same level of preventive care and more. It’s just not billed to Medicare. If your insurance requires you to have one (rather than offers to provide one), see us first. We can make sure you have all you need to have done, including the appropriate counseling. Then you can go see another provider who does them and hand them all the information on a silver platter and tell them about the good care you receive at Wellspring. Those MAWV visits are free there anyway.

We are here if you get sick and have acute needs, which is “reactive care.” But we also can tailor your preventive care to meet your specific needs. There are no additional costs to schedule periodic wellness visits so why not set that up? Though not yet finalized, we hope to provide dietician and physical fitness counseling services in the future.

By providing high quality care with ready access, we often can reduce hospitalizations and the need for specialty referrals. When these types of care are required, we can communicate with your hospitalist during your hospital stay as well as work closely with any consultant so that we can advocate for you and coordinate your follow up care. Please let us know if you are hospitalized and if so, where, and who your attending or consulting physicians are, when you are about to be released so I can engage with them. Let me know which outpatient consultants you see so we can communicate more carefully, avoiding duplication of labs or other tests and especially so I can oversee the care of multiple specialists, as they often do not know what is being done or prescribed by others. We can carefully review and possibly reduce the need for "routine follow ups" for stable problems that may be unnecessary and just cost you time and money.

We are happy to accept children as members after they receive their 4-year-old vaccine series. We can provide annual well checkups and sports physicals thereafter as well as sick or injury care, including urgent care, after-hours when this cannot be accommodated during office hours. (Due to the high acquisition costs of vaccines, we are not able to provide these. Required vaccines after age 4 are infrequent (age 11, 16) and can be obtained at your pharmacy, as can annual flu vaccines.

If I have not seen you before, I do want to see you in the office as soon as we can schedule you for a visit. I want to meet you so we can review your medical history, perform a physical exam and make sure you are up to date on any recommended testing. Thereafter, it depends on your specific instances of care. If short of breath, I will need to listen to your lungs. If reviewing your normal blood reassess your thyroid labs, that can easily be done remotely. We will decide how best to take care of your individual needs. This is the “However” of DPC. Periodically, I would like to see you back in the office, at least annually, to do a physical exam, review your health history and to have a face to face visit. Though we live in a digital world now, there is no substitute for "in-person" at least some of the time. For those who take controlled substances, this will be needed at least on an annual basis and depending on individual circumstances, sometimes more often.

This is the “Whenever” of DPC. I will be available to you as much as possible for after-hours care if the need is urgent, in person or remotely. I am one person and I have a family, but if you need me and it can’t wait until office hours, you can contact me. Members will be provided with the information needed on how to reach me after hours. In addition to care for illnesses, we provide care for a variety of musculoskeletal injuries and lacerations needing sutures, so think “I'll call Wellspring” before going to an Urgent Care or ER but use common sense on the latter! Contact me if you do go to the ER, and the next workday if you get care elsewhere so we can follow up (remember, there is no additional cost for that)

This is the “Wherever” of DPC. Reach out to us. During the pandemic, when the largest insurance company in the area did pay for telehealth, we had to document “The patient is in Alabama”. DPC provides another freedom of not being constrained by third-party payors, who typically no longer pay for these services, or not with your doctor. Many problems can be addressed with a conversation over the phone, email, text or webcam. I’ve treated others halfway around the world who were sick while traveling or on mission trips. Just remember the time- zones!

Yes, Health Savings Accounts (HSA) can be used to pay for Direct Primary Care (DPC) membership fees since DPC is considered a qualified medical expense under IRS guidelines for HSA spending. Flexible Spending Account (FSA) acceptability is more vaguely defined. FSAs generally cover qualified medical expenses that are primarily for the “diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.” However, DPC fees may not always fit within these FSA criteria as they cover access to primary care services rather than specific medical treatments or procedures. Experienced DPC providers I have consulted with have not found it problematic. However, you may wish to check with your FSA provider or consult a tax professional for guidance on this topic. We can provide a receipt for payments made if needed for either your HSA or FSA expenses, but prefer to provide these on a bi-annual or annual basis, rather than less frequently.

Local counselors/therapists/psychologists often refer patients to me for mental health consultations, particularly if they believe prescription medications are necessary for effective treatment. (The decision on prescription therapy resides with the prescriber). I am a family physician, not a psychiatrist, but I have special interest, skills and experience in diagnosis and treating a variety of common mental health disorders, excluding such disorders as schizophrenia. With a referral and notes sent from your therapist, and consent for us to share notes, I offer an initial one-month consult package for a flat fee of $150. This typically includes an initial one hour face-to-face visit and a 30-minute follow-up visit several weeks later. During this 30-day period, you will have have office-hours access to my care via phone/ email/ text for the specific issue(s) for which you were referred. After the first month you may choose to continue as a "Mental Health-Only Care" member for $50 per month for ongoing care during office hours. (Ideal if you have another primary care provider) or I can communicate with your PCP about assuming this care and provide you with a prescription refill until you can see them. Alternatively, you may opt for full membership access at the age-based membership fee. We will provide information to the area therapists about this and can discuss it in detail when you come in. You can also inquire more at Hello@WellspringDirect.com.

Feel free to, but it may not be necessary. Dr. Ellis provided OB care during the first 15 years of his practice, and though he no longer provides OB care, he can provide non-surgical care for many gyn problems, contraceptive prescriptions, PAP smears, perform breast exams if needed (no longer universally recommended), schedule mammograms and refer you when needed for more complex problems. As a point of information, PAP smears are recommend every 3-5 years (not annually) up to age 65 for women who still have a cervix and without a recent abnormal. Routine screening pelvic exams for women without symptoms haven't been recommended* for over since 2018, so if your doctor is still recommending them annually…? *ACOG Committee Opinion No. 754: The Well-Woman Visit. June 2018

There is significantly more work creating, reviewing and updating your initial chart, requesting records if needed, importing and updating medication lists, and for the additional intake visit. Also, We have chosen to keep our membership fees as low as possible, and lower than most similar practices. The enrollment fee helps us keep your ongoing monthly fees lower. The membership fee is waived for those who prepay their membership annually and for certain categories of membership (see under the Membership Pricing heading). Only one enrollment fee is charged per family if enrolling simultaneously.

First, direct your questions to the listed email address. We can schedule a call with nurse Amy and when available, with me. Come get to know me! Schedule a free, unconditional 15 minute visit for us to meet (in person or by phone or video). Though we can briefly discuss the types of healthcare concerns you have and our mutual philosophies of care, we will not provide medical advice until you have enrolled as a member. You are not locked into a long-term contract if you find we are not the right fit for you.

Unfortunately, no. You never know what the future holds for your health. If you are not a continuing member of Wellspring, then technically, I am not (or am no longer) your doctor. Preventive health is important, and I also want to be available for problems that arise, even after hours. I can best care for you when I know you and you know me through an ongoing continuity relationship. I understand that a few of my prior patients typically saw me only for once-yearly check-ups at both my University practice and at Novus, and I welcome you to reach out to me to discuss what decision for your healthcare is best. Email me at Hello@WellspringDirect.com.

Pairing your DPC membership with a high deductible health plan (HDHP) can be more cost- effective and may save more than the cost of your membership fees. HDHPs often have lower premiums but higher deductibles, covering medical costs beyond primary care such as for hospitalizations, surgeries, or serious illnesses. However, your DPC membership fees will not consume your deductible through the year. You should try to put money aside to help cover high deductibles whether you choose a DPC practice or not. Also, some insurance plans may require you to choose primary care providers from within their network and not doing so can complicate referral processes. Feel free to discuss this with us at Wellspring before joining and we will do our best to advise you on how we handle these issues and on what would work best for you.

Though I encouraged self-scheduling at my prior practice, DPC offers multiple pathways to provide the care you need, much of it not in person. Until you and I get used to this new DPC style of practice, we want you to contact us to coordinate how best to take care of you- be that in person, phone, video, or just email or text. We may enable this function later.

Yes, but there are caveats. We emphasize the importance of the continuity relationship. You want to be a good steward of your money. We get that. We offer discounts for quarterly and longer prepayments. Instead of requiring a contract, we have an enrollment fee for most patient categories (see the fee schedule). If there is a 30-day lapse in your membership, you may need to pay the re-enrollment fee to become a member again. Each repeat enrollment fee is higher. Membership is by application and our panel size is limited so when we are full, we won’t be taking additional patients and re-enrollment may not be an option. We understand hardships happen and we are reasonable people. Let us know if something like that it is going on and we will take it into consideration.

Yes! Please read why I have this question here. I intentionally keep my rates among the lowest in the industry to maximize accessibility for my existing patients. The saying “No margin, no mission” means if I am not generating enough income to pay my staff and my other practice costs and also support my family, then I can't be charitable toward patients unable to pay for their care. Previously, working in a high-overhead environment and within the insurance-driven system, my commitment to delivering high-quality, compassionate healthcare eliminated my work-life balance and left little financial room to support the under/uninsured. It's already breaking my heart telling people I have taken care of for years about my new practice, knowing many of them can't follow me there. I view my practice as a ministry, and later, when my patient panel approaches its goal with Wellspring, I will have the capacity to financially bless others once again. Meanwhile, for those willing to contribute beyond their standard fee or donate, I am going to establish a [tax-deductible] escrow account. These funds will exclusively aid those needing assistance to access my care. I'll ensure independent oversight of this account to maintain transparency and will gladly provide updates. Let's discuss further if you're interested." email me at Hello@WellspringDirect.com.