AAFP Direct Primary Care Summit 2020 is Going Virtual!

AAFP DPC Summit 2020 is Going Virtual

Due to Covid 19, the AAFP DPC Summit is going virtual. There are pros and cons to this arrangement, but there will be much to learn from the sessions and presenters. This year, I have the honor of presenting twice during the Summit. I’ll be giving a talk on building out a larger office for your DPC practice and I’ll be a part of the DPC Summit Student and Resident Track

DPC Summit Student and Resident Track

The DPC Summit will have a student and resident track as a part of the programming, and this year the AAFP is taking the unprecedented step of making the content of this student and resident track FREE for all medical students and medical residents.

This is very exciting as medical students and residents will be able to learn a ton about the DPC model for free during the year's premiere direct primary care conference. You can sign up for the full DPC Summit for $50 if you’re a medical student or medical resident, on the AAFP DPC Summit website, here.

If you want to get updates from Dr. Kenneth Qiu about the Student and Resident Track, and get FREE access to the DPC Summit 2020 Student and Resident Track, please fill out this form.

Interview with Dr. Kenneth Qiu

Dr. Kenneth Qiu and I had a moment to sit down and talk about the upcoming Student and Resident track for the AAFP DPC Summit 2020. It’s going to start at 5:30 pm Central Time on Friday July 17th and it should go until about 7:30 pm. More deets in this vid:

Is it possible to start a dpc practice straight out of residency

YES! I started my DPC practice straight out of residency and it’s the best decision I’ve made in my medical career. I did it with only a little bit of money, but a ton of grit and persistence. Almost four years later, I’ve hired two doctors to help me with the demand and I’ve created a second location for our thriving business and brand. Learn more at Plum Health DPC’s website, here.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT STARTING A DIRECT PRIMARY CARE PRACTICE?

If you enjoyed reading this blog post and if you want to learn more about starting and growing your direct primary care practice, look no further than our book and our courses on how to start and grow your direct primary care practice. We at Startup DPC have begun compiling some of the best content available on this blog, in our book, and in our courses.

The best place to start is to take our Direct Primary Care Business Plan course, available here. From there, you can learn how to attract new patients to your direct primary care practice and how to find the perfect location or build out the practice of your dreams.

Thanks for reading and watching, and best of luck in your direct primary care journey!

- Dr. Paul Thomas with Startup DPC

More Praise for the Startup DPC Book

Today, we got another shout out on LinkedIn for the Startup DPC book:

Are you on the fence about buying Startup DPC?

Well, I am here to tell you that after reading it cover to cover that it is the most extensive guide that I have found for starting your DPC practice and is worth more than the asking price for an insight into this specialty knowledge. (Don't buy the AAFP DPC Starter pack, you will be disappointed). It's a fun read because it is written like a story, not a dry textbook. Dr. Paul Thomas talks about his own experience of starting a practice and includes snippets of other people's experiences. He also compiles a vast amount of other helpful resources throughout the book such as other good books to read, and links to DPC websites, videos, and more. While everyone's journey is different, I love how lots of numbers were included in the book, like how many new patients you will get in a month or how much it costs to start a practice. This was great because it gave me a baseline to compare myself to. A detailed marketing strategy is also included that discusses everything from news media to Google SEO, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

I will be referring back to this book frequently as I start my own DPC practice.

Thank you Paul Thomas, M.D.

#directprimarycare #bookreview #healthcarereform #bookrecommendation #goodread

Thank you so much for the shout out Lauren Svensen!

Laura Svensen, FNP-C with a copy of Startup DPC!

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT STARTING A DIRECT PRIMARY CARE PRACTICE?

If you enjoyed reading this blog post and if you want to learn more about starting and growing your direct primary care practice, look no further than our courses on how to start and grow your direct primary care practice. We at Startup DPC have begun compiling some of the best content available on this blog and in our courses.

The best place to start is to take our Direct Primary Care Business Plan course, available here. From there, you can learn how to attract new patients to your direct primary care practice and how to find the perfect location or build out the practice of your dreams.

Thanks for reading and watching, and best of luck in your direct primary care journey!

- Dr. Paul Thomas with Startup DPC

Startup DPC Book Gets a Shout out from a Successful DPC Doctor

The Startup DPC Book is Helping Doctors Start and Grow their Direct primary care practices

This week, a successful DPC Doctor, Peter Cashio, MD, gave a big shout out to the Startup DPC Book:

Starting on the Paul Thomas Social Media Marketing plan today. If you haven't picked up a copy of his book, Startup DPC, I HIGHLY recommend it. Lots of great nuts and bolts "how to" action items to move things forwards.

Note: this review and plug was completely unsolicited. Dr. Thomas provide what my entrepreneur friends call "high value."

Startup DPC Book Gets Eleven 5-star Reviews on Amazon

This week, the Startup DPC Book reached eleven 5-star reviews on Amazon. Here’s what one reviewer had to say:

As a student of business in the business of healthcare, one challenge I have faced is helping physicians "get" core business concepts. Medical training and the path to success is based on perfection (or near perfection). After all, who wants to be treated by a physician that is right some of the time! This training however makes it challenging for most doctors to accept standard business concepts such as risk vs. reward, perfect is the enemy of good, and so forth. And I've never personally witnessed a physician willing to "meet a patient where they are!"

There are hundreds of things to learn from Dr. Paul Thomas in this book. But if there is one thing a budding DPC doc should take away from this excellent book, it is to meet your patient where they are. I am confident if you do the basics correctly and live by this simple phrase, you will grow your practice quickly and retain your patients in an enduring manner.

Excellent work Dr. Thomas!

Thanks
Todd McGee
Medical Practice COO/CFO and budding healthcare entrepreneur

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT STARTING A DIRECT PRIMARY CARE PRACTICE?

If you enjoyed reading this blog post and if you want to learn more about starting and growing your direct primary care practice, look no further than our courses on how to start and grow your direct primary care practice. We at Startup DPC have begun compiling some of the best content available on this blog and in our courses.

The best place to start is to take our Direct Primary Care Business Plan course, available here. From there, you can learn how to attract new patients to your direct primary care practice and how to find the perfect location or build out the practice of your dreams.

Thanks for reading and watching, and best of luck in your direct primary care journey!

- Dr. Paul Thomas with Startup DPC

Startup DPC Gets A Shout Out From Pretty Girl Practice

This week, Startup DPC got a nice shout out from Pretty Girl Practice on Instagram. If you’re a direct primary care doctor, social media applications like Facebook and Instagram can be great platforms to reach new audiences and also to improve your branding. If you don’t have a Facebook Page or an Instagram page for your direct primary care practice, consider making one to improve how people in your community perceive your brand and your business. I teach doctors how to do this, step-by-step, in the Sales Funnel course on our website, here.

The following images are screenshots from her story about Direct Primary Care

Startup DPC gets a nice shout out from Pretty Girl Practice on Instagram

Startup DPC and the DPC Mapper get a nice shout out from Pretty Girl Practice on Instagram

Direct Primary Care Physician Inspired by the Startup DPC Book

Today, Rebecca Berens, MD of Vida Family Medicine in Houston Texas sent out very kind post on Instagram. She recently read the Startup DPC book, Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice and she posted a quote on her Instagram that I used in the book from John C Maxwell, “Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it's almost always due to personal growth.”

This is the quote that I used at the beginning of Chapter 6 on How to Prepare for Direct Primary Care While in Residency. I used the quote here because I believe that new doctors and residents have the greatest opportunity to learn a new system of care, and they have a unique opportunity to adopt the DPC model and the DPC mindset before getting enmeshed in the dysfunctional fee-for-service system as an employed physician.

Here’s what Dr. Berens had to say:

I love this quote that Dr. Paul Thomas from @plumhealthdpc added to his new book, #startupdpc Direct Primary Care is a new concept to many patients (and even doctors), but it was truly personal growth that led me to take this path. I was so tired of churning patients through the system in 10 minute increments, never having enough time to really help them in the way I knew I could. Meanwhile, I was arriving home to my family emotionally drained and physically exhausted. Becoming a mother made me realise that I needed to do better, for my patients and my family. Starting your own business is a huge risk (even without a pandemic throwing a wrench in the mix!) but in the end all of the stress and uncertainty it will be worth it.
.
.
Does spending more time at home during pandemic have you reflecting too? How have you grown over the last few months?

View this post on Instagram

I love this quote that Dr. Paul Thomas from @plumhealthdpc added to his new book, #startupdpc Direct Primary Care is a new concept to many patients (and even doctors), but it was truly personal growth that led me to take this path. I was so tired of churning patients through the system in 10 minute increments, never having enough time to really help them in the way I knew I could. Meanwhile, I was arriving home to my family emotionally drained and physically exhausted. Becoming a mother made me realise that I needed to do better, for my patients and my family. Starting your own business is a huge risk (even without a pandemic throwing a wrench in the mix!) but in the end all of the stress and uncertainty it will be worth it. . . Does spending more time at home during pandemic have you reflecting too? How have you grown over the last few months? . . #directprimarycare #personalgrowth #selfreflection #houstonentrepreneurs #houstonmompreneur #houstonsmallbusiness #houstondoctors #doctormom #momlife #houstonheights #ricemilitary

A post shared by Rebecca Berens, MD (@vidafamilymedicine) on May 17, 2020 at 2:48pm PDT

More about Rebecca Berens, MD

Dr. Rebecca Berens is a board-certified Family Medicine Physician with expertise in Women's Health and Breastfeeding Medicine. Her holistic approach serves patients from newborns to the elderly, focusing on both the physical and mental well-being of each family member - perfect for patients looking for a lifetime of care and support.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT STARTING A DIRECT PRIMARY CARE PRACTICE?

If you enjoyed reading this blog post and if you want to learn more about starting and growing your direct primary care practice, look no further than our courses on how to start and grow your direct primary care practice. We at Startup DPC have begun compiling some of the best content available on this blog and in our courses.

The best place to start is to take our Direct Primary Care Business Plan course, available here. From there, you can learn how to attract new patients to your direct primary care practice and how to find the perfect location or build out the practice of your dreams.

Thanks for reading and watching, and best of luck in your direct primary care journey!

- Dr. Paul Thomas with Startup DPC

"Great Sales Funnel Course!" and HIPAA Protected Communications

Direct Primary Care Sales Funnel Course Receives Praise

One of Startup DPC docs recently completed the Sales Funnel Course and had this to say about the experience:

Hi Paul, great sales funnel course! I will start implementing what I learned immediately.  When you set up MailChimp for newsletters, how do you share your subscriber’s data and be HIPAA compliant with your patients? MailChimp doesn’t have a BAA for PHI. Any other recommendations?

Thanks for your insight.

First of all, I’m glad people are enjoying and getting a ton of value out of the Sales Funnel Course. I’ve had several docs talk about how helpful it has been in helping them attract new patients for their direct primary care practices.

Using Email Marketing Platforms to Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice

Second, I don't put my patients info into MailChimp unless they enroll themselves. If someone goes to my site, they can sign up for my email blasts by putting in their email address online, via a form submission on our website. I’ve synced my MailChimp account with my Plum Health SquareSpace account. Therefore, if anyone submits their email address on my website, they automatically are asked if they’d like to join the email list. If they agree to MailChimp’s terms and conditions, they are then made a part of my email list.

If set up correctly, this is more or less an automated process. I then send out monthly email blasts to those folks. Here’s the form as it appears on our Plum Health DPC website.

This is the site on my Plum Health DPC website where folks can submit their contact information. If they complete this form and agree to MailChimp’s terms of service, we can send them emails whenever we like. We usually send monthly updates.

For my patients, I send them notes via my EMR. There's a function in ATLAS that allows me to send a group email to all of my patients. 

As a side note, I have all of my patients waive my obligation to their HIPAA rights in the contract, which is roughly 7 pages long. That way, I have some protection for any emails, phone calls, or text messages. 

- Dr. Paul Thomas with Startup DPC

Direct Primary Care Book is Available in Paperback Format!

Today I received the first copies of the published Startup DPC book!! 📖

It’s an amazing feeling to hold this book 📚 in my hands, as it’s been the culmination of 4 years of knowledge and experience, and 3 years of writing and documenting the process.

It’s much bigger and longer than I thought it would be, but I guess I had a lot to say 💁🏻‍♂️

It’s my sincere hope that this book is transformative for those doctors 🥼 who want to take back medicine 💊 🔬 for the sake of their patients and the communities that they serve.

Here’s to your good health, and to a better health care system that awaits us, if we choose to reach for it.

This moment ^^^ brought to you by pure joy - it's an amazing feeling to unbox and open up the hard copy of my book - Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886GYD9Z/

It was a labor of love - for the love of our patients, for the love of our communities, and for the love of my physician colleagues, so that they have to tools and knowledge to truly take care of their patients on their own terms.

Together, we can build a more compassionate and sustainable health care systems that focuses on caring for people and valuing the patient-doctor relationship.

Thanks for reading and watching,

- Dr. Paul Thomas with Startup DPC

Paul Thomas MD of Startup DPC holds up a copy of Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice. Dr. Paul Thomas is a Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician practicing at Plum Health DPC in Detroit, Michigan.

Adding a New Skill to Your LinkedIn Profile

How to attract more patients to your direct primary care practice by using LinkedIn

Adding new skills on LinkedIn can help to keep your LinkedIn profile looking fresh. It will communicate with your audience that you're actively engaged in the work that you're doing. If you're a direct primary care doctor, having a fresh and engaging LinkedIn profile is a must for attracting and retaining new patients to your direct primary care practice.

For me, I just took 5 minutes to update my LinkedIn profile. This action will help me reach a broader audience and keep my current audience engaged. I just wrote a book called Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice, so I needed to update the publications section of my LinkedIn profile.

In this video, I show you step by step how I did this. If you spend 5 minutes on LinkedIn every day, you'll see tremendous results for your personal and professional brand. I created an entire course on attracting new patients to your direct primary care practice, and it can be found here.

I would love to connect with you on LinkedIn - you can add me by going to my profile and clicking on the “Connect” button.

Have a wonderful day,

-Dr. Paul Thomas

The Direct Primary Care Book is The #1 New Release

Today’s a very exciting day! Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice has hit number 1 on Amazon under the Physician category.

Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice has hit number 1 on Amazon under the Physician category.

Additionally, the book has garnered some amazing reviews so far. Here’s the top review:

Dr. Thomas has a wealth of knowledge from his experience starting and running a highly successful DPC practice. This book, his previous book, and his online courses are all extremely helpful resources for physicians to start their own DPC practice to provide better, more affordable care to patients.

The next review came from Kendrick:

This book is more than just one guys thoughts about starting a DPC practice. Dr. Paul has been advocating purpose driven business for years. If you have a goal of making money with a successful DPC practice you may or may not find that brings you happiness or fulfillment. Dr. Paul's discussion fo the concept of ikigai could change your life if you are open to it.

The practical stuff is here too. You could follow this recipe for a practice like his and have something you could really be proud of in the end. But inevitably, you're going to be adding in your own ingredients and the recipe here becomes not a restriction but a great base to start with.

I honestly can't believe what Dr. Paul has accomplished. He and I started practices at the same time and if I were the comparing type, I'd feel bad about myself. Instead, I'm choosing just to be inspired.

Sincerely thank you for the kind words Kendrick, I really appreciate you.

If you’d like to pick up a copy of Startup DPC, you can do so here.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day! - Dr. Paul Thomas

Startup DPC Book is the Number 1 New Release on Amazon

DR. PAUL THOMAS OF PLUM HEALTH DPC PUBLISHES A NEW BOOK

I am proud and excited to announce that my new book, Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice has officially been published! The Startup DPC Book is the Number 1 New Release on Amazon in the Physicians category, and I’m stoked!

#StartupDPC is then #1 New Release on @amazon for physicians!!! #Kindle #DirectPrimaryCare #Detroit #FamilyMedicine #PlumHealth #DPCBook #DirectPrimaryCareBook #DoctorAuthor https://t.co/Oj1NvcN0tj pic.twitter.com/DT00fuE796

— Paul Thomas, MD (@PlumHealthDPC) May 7, 2020

WHY THIS BOOK ON DIRECT PRIMARY CARE WAS WRITTEN?

I wrote this book for so many reasons - to begin with, starting and growing a Direct Primary Care practice has changed my life. I’ve been able to serve people in my community with a high-value family medicine service, I’ve been able to advocate for causes that I feel passionate about, and I’ve been able to be creative in my approach to solving people’s healthcare challenges. In short, I’ve been able to become the doctor I’m meant to be.

I’ve also learned a ton from my colleagues in the direct primary care movement, and I wanted to give back in a tangible way. So, I took all of my learnings, all of my knowledge and wisdom that I’ve gained over the past four years and put those lessons into this book. I’ve had a lot of victories, but I’ve also made a ton of mistakes and I’ve had my share of failures - I wanted to share about the spectrum of success and failure and give my primary care colleagues as many advantages as possible when they set out to do this kind of work.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day,

-Dr. Paul Thomas with Startup DPC