Could subscription model be the answer to US health care cost woes?

Although improving health care is a never-ending topic of discussion, the real issue often is not so much the quality of care but how to access and pay for it. Subscription care, an all-encompassing term for membership-style primary care services such as direct primary care (DPC), changes the incentives of the doctors and health care providers to be more proactive in managing the patient’s health. The model is designed to be a bridge between modern medicine and a more traditional, less complex health care model.

“DPC has improved access to quality care by building stronger relationships between patients and their primary care physicians by eliminating the inefficiency of paying for primary care services through an insurance company,” according to a new report from Accresa. “By eliminating the unnecessary expenses created by inefficiency, physicians are able to spend more time focused on their patient’s wellbeing, and patients will feel more trust and access to their doctor.”

Employers and individuals are showing interest in innovative, tailored subscription care plans as a way to control health care costs and obtain better access to care, according to the Accresa Subscription Care Benchmark Report 2022. According to the survey of more than 280 employers and 6,000 individuals: