What Is Direct Primary Care?
what is direct primary care?
Primary care.Without all the complications.
Primary care. Without all the complications.
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a simple, membership-based approach to healthcare that puts the relationship back where it belongs—between you and your healthcare team.
Instead of billing insurance for your everyday primary care, you pay a predictable monthly or annual membership fee directly to your DPC practice.
In return, you get something that’s become surprisingly difficult to find in healthcare:
Time. Access. Transparency. And a healthcare team that actually knows you.
There are no copays for your primary care visits. No surprise bills from your doctor’s office. And because your healthcare team isn’t dependent on insurance reimbursement for every visit, they can spend more time caring for you—and less time navigating the system.
What’s different about DPC?
In traditional healthcare, your primary care relationship often involves multiple layers:
YOU → INSURANCE → BILLING → HEALTHCARE SYSTEM → YOUR PROVIDER
Direct Primary Care simplifies that relationship:
YOU ↔ YOUR HEALTHCARE TEAM
You pay your primary care practice directly. We work directly for you.
That simple change allows us to build primary care around what patients actually need—rather than around how many visits can be scheduled or which services can be billed.
It’s not less healthcare. It’s more primary care.
DPC isn’t concierge medicine, and it isn’t simply a way to get faster appointments.
It’s a different model for delivering primary care.
Your membership is designed to give you ongoing access to comprehensive primary care—not just an annual physical or an occasional sick visit.
That means more opportunity to prevent problems before they become bigger ones, manage chronic conditions thoughtfully, ask questions, understand your options, and build a long-term relationship with a healthcare team that knows your history.
That’s Direct Primary Care.
And at True North, we believe it’s how primary care should feel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Membership & Cost
Your membership covers comprehensive primary care, including routine and preventive care, acute illness and injury, chronic disease management, annual wellness care (including an annual lab panel), and in-office procedures.
Members also enjoy longer visits, better access to their healthcare team, secure patient messaging, and access to discounted labs, medications, imaging, and other services.
No copays. No per-visit charges. Just primary care when you need it.
Specific services and benefits may vary by location.
No. Your monthly membership covers your primary care visits, so there are no copays or per-visit charges for included services.
Additional services outside your membership are always discussed with you upfront.
Some services—such as labs, medications, imaging, supplements, or procedures outside your membership—may have an additional cost. Whenever possible, we offer transparent, discounted pricing so you know what you’ll pay before receiving the service. If you have healthcare insurance, you can use it for some of these services if you wish.
Because insurance doesn’t always provide the access, time, and relationship you want from primary care. Many of our members have health insurance and choose DPC because they value easier access, longer visits, no copays, and a healthcare team that knows them.
That’s okay! DPC isn’t just for people who are sick. Your membership gives you access when you need it while creating more opportunities to focus on prevention, early intervention, and staying healthy in the first place.
Absolutely. True North provides primary care for individuals and families across the lifespan.
Yes! Employers can offer True North memberships as an employee benefit, giving their team convenient access to high-quality primary care without copays or per-visit charges.
Employer-sponsored memberships can be a practical way to support employee health, improve access to care, and offer a benefit employees can actually use.
Insurance, Medicare & Medicaid
Direct Primary Care is designed to cover your everyday primary care—not hospitalizations, major medical events, or other services outside the practice.
True North has affiliations with Planstin and Zion HealthShare that provide our members access to discounted options for healthcare benefits and medical cost-sharing beyond DPC.
These options are separate from your True North membership and aren’t required to become a member. Our team can provide information to help you explore whether one of these options may be a good fit for you.
Absolutely. In fact, many True North members have health insurance. They choose DPC because they value better access, longer visits, no copays for included primary care, and a healthcare team that knows them.
Yes. While True North does not bill insurance for your membership-based primary care, you can still use your insurance for covered services such as specialists, hospital care, imaging, prescriptions, labs and other medical expenses.
Yes. Medicare beneficiaries can participate in Direct Primary Care.
Yes. Montana law now recognizes Direct Primary Care within the Medicaid program and allows eligible Medicaid members to participate in DPC without being required to maintain a separate primary-care case-management provider.
True North’s Dr. Robert Hart and Wendy Hansen, RN, collaborated on Montana HB 953, legislation designed to expand access to Direct Primary Care for Medicaid patients and remove barriers that previously made DPC more difficult for Medicaid members.
Yes. Your DPC membership does not prevent you from using your insurance for services outside your membership. We can also help you compare insurance and cash-pay options when appropriate so you can make the choice that works best for you.
Getting Care
One of the biggest benefits of DPC is better access. We strive to offer same- or next-business-day appointments for acute needs.
Members can communicate with their healthcare team through our secure patient portal and texting. Messages are reviewed during normal business hours and are intended for non-urgent needs.
Your healthcare team needs time to recharge, too! For urgent concerns that cannot wait until the next business day, members have access to our after-hours nurse triage service. Routine questions and portal messages are addressed during normal business hours.
True North does not replace emergency medical services. For a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
We’ll help determine when specialty care is appropriate and coordinate a referral when needed. Your True North provider remains part of your care team and can help you understand recommendations and navigate next steps.
Hospital care is not included in your DPC membership, but we don’t stop being your primary care team when you enter the hospital. After discharge, we can help review your hospitalization, reconcile medications, coordinate follow-up care, and support your transition back home.
Joining True North
Getting started is easy. Choose your True North location, complete the online enrollment process or call and our team will help you get established with your new healthcare team.
Choose the True North location that is most convenient for you and where you plan to receive most of your care. Your membership is valid at any of our True North locations.
Yes! You don’t have to be a full-time resident to become a True North member. DPC can be especially valuable for seasonal residents who want an established healthcare team and reliable access to care while they’re in the area.
True North memberships are based on an annual agreement, reflecting our commitment to building an ongoing relationship with you and your health—not simply providing occasional visits.
Cancellation terms and any applicable exceptions are outlined in your membership agreement.
Yes! Employers can sponsor True North memberships as an employee benefit. Employer-sponsored DPC can give employees convenient access to high-quality primary care while helping businesses invest directly in the health of their teams.
Business owner? Give us a call today to learn more about how True North can provide excellent healthcare to your team!
Ready to Experience Primary Care Differently?
Find the True North location nearest you and explore membership options, pricing, providers, and services.