FAQs

AffirmHD DPC is a Family Medicine practice that is affordable, accessible, comprehensive, and personalized. 

 We have shrugged the bureaucracy, completely. We have shredded red tape. In refusing to recognize any interference with the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship, we have returned Family Medicine to its root values of clinical excellence and compassionate knowledge of every patient. In every aspect of Family Medicine care provided, we deliver affordability, accessibility, comprehensiveness, and personalization. Beware of DINOs (DPC in name only practices)!  We do not bill insurance in addition to your membership fees

No. We do not bill your insurance for any of our office services. 

 Perhaps the most critical distinction of our Family Medicine practice is that it focuses on a direct, personal relationship between you and your doctor. That directness carries over to our business model as well. We forgo insurance payments in order to save our patients from the arbitrary, intrusive decisions that inevitably come with third-party payers. Furthermore, this direct membership arrangement frees us from the typical contractual agreements that prevent physicians from offering wholesale prices on laboratory tests, imaging, and medications. 

 Yes, absolutely! We recommend that our patients enroll in either a government plan such as the healthcare marketplace/exchange plan, a medical health insurance plan (preferably with a health savings account), or a medical cost-sharing plan (what the majority of DPC patients choose because of affordability and coverage), thereby ensuring financial help should an expensive medication, a hospitalization or a referral to a specialist be necessary. 

 We accept patients.  We just don’t bill these third parties.  But just because you have insurance doesn’t mean you have great healthcare access or that you have the most affordable care with personal access. In addition the cost of using your insurance benefits adds up quickly.  Each copay and office visit adds up.  With four visits a year you have paid the same amount as a year of our membership!  In fact, the dirty little secret to health insurance is that “employees will pay an average of $2,487 in out-of-pocket costs, such as copayments, coinsurance and deductibles”.  So, you may SAVE money if you have insurance and join our practice! 

If you are Medicare age but are not Medicare eligible, we are more than happy to care for your needs. 

 Unfortunately at this time, we are not accepting Medicare eligible persons at this time due to restrictions imposed by Medicare on their patients.  Be sure to talk with us however as we are placing Medicare eligible persons on a wait list. 

 In providing comprehensive care with unprecedented access, we strive to prevent or reduce hospitalizations and specialty referrals. In those instances where those types of care are required, we are available to communicate with your hospitalist during your hospital stay or to work closely with any specialist. In some cases, depending on the level of care and the sorts of expertise required, we may need to rely on those specialized caregivers to manage your treatment. 

 Nothing changes.  As your personal doctor, Dr Wion will be able to coordinate appointments, and, to the best of her ability, will expedite the waiting time for the visit. When you see a specialist, it will be a conventional visit using your medical insurance or medical cost-sharing plan. We are then able to follow-up with you and your specialist about the visit.  Any studies needed are ordered and scheduled just like in a regular practice.  Your prescriptions go to the same pharmacies you choose. It is that simple and seamless. 

Of course. We might argue that everyone benefits from a service tailored directly to them. Our practice is devoted to the maintenance of your good health, to the enhancements of your daily experience that only physical well-being can bring.

In wellness and therapeutic care alike, AffirmHD DPC’s greatest ally is time. Large amounts of precious, irretrievable time given to you as you need. Every visit will be easy-going in its thoroughness and relaxed in answering your questions and addressing your needs. Then, as the months and years go by, we’ll build a comprehensive and intimate knowledge of your health which is an invaluable understanding rarely seen in today’s healthcare model.

 Please consult with your tax consultant to clarify tax consequences in your particular circumstances. 

 Yes! We are happy to accept the children (birth to 21 years of age) of our enrolled patients. At this time, we are not able to provide routine vaccinations for children but we will happily work with you to arrange these with your local pharmacy or public health department. 

 By all means, yes!  Because illness and injury do not respect regular clinic hours, you may contact your physician for urgent situations that are not life threatening. Any non-urgent needs will be attended to during our normal clinic hours.  We know you will be respectful of your doctor's time. 

Always call 911 for medical/life/limb threatening emergencies!  

 Naturally we provide such care – yet another freedom we enjoy together as a result of our independence from the restrictions of third-party payment. Because we know you well, we can streamline your care when you’re sick away from home. In the age of telemedicine, some illnesses can be diagnosed and treated with a simple conversation by phone or webcam. We’ll locate the nearest pharmacy and order the medications most appropriate for your present circumstances as long as there are no state specific legal limitations for doing so. 

 We maintain scrupulous standards of privacy. We are never obligated to provide any third party with a copy of your records, unless you specifically ask that we do so or in the course of providing you care with specialists we have agreed that you need to see.  However, be aware that using your health insurance for payments at pharmacies, labs etc may result in part of your records being provided to third party organizations.

 Please feel free to schedule a brief meet-and -greet visit. It’s the only reasonable way to begin what, we trust, will be a long, productive, altogether healthy relationship.  Please be aware that prescriptions, lab orders, referrals etc are not provided during a meet-and-greet visit.

 You should have some type of medical insurance or medical cost-sharing for any medications, ancillary testing, specialist consultations or hospitalizations that you may require. 

 You will go to the hospital of your choice or that is covered by your insurance provider. We are able to stay in consultation with the hospital staff during your hospitalization so long as you provide them with our contact information and your permission for them to share your information with us. 

 Your monthly fee does not count toward your medical insurance deductible. Some patients have Health Savings Accounts or Flexible Spending Accounts which may allow for your monthly fees to be paid with pre-tax dollars. You should check with your specific plan to find out if this applies in your case. 

AffirmHD stands for Affirm Health Direct. Our aim is to encourage you on your health journey by providing simplicity, as well as a positive and encouraging atmosphere. We want to partner with you directly as we restore the patient-physician relationship.