What is direct-access primary care?

It is a form of ‘membership’ healthcare that returns providers and patients to a direct relationship with one another, both socially and financially. Patients pay the provider directly for their time, and the provider treats the patients directly with the time, advice, and interventions that are most appropriate for them. Neither provider nor patient is influenced by the billing requirements of an insurance company.

Patients pay a predictable monthly rate that doesn’t change, regardless of how many touchpoints are needed in a given month. Direct-access care is the only form of healthcare that incentivizes the provider to keep the patient healthy, rather than hoping they get sick.

Preliminary data show excellent outcomes, reduced costs (by 20-50%), and greater satisfaction for patients and providers alike.

Services

  • Minor illness/injury (cold, cough, sore throat, ear infection, asthma exacerbation, etc.)

  • Skin conditions

  • Med refills

  • Lab orders 

  • Sleep apnea / insomnia

  • Travel health

  • Weight loss (for nutrition clients only)

  • Behavioral health

  • Contraception

  • Yeast infection

  • UTI for 16+

  • Other services available at provider discretion and in accordance with what can be responsibly managed over telehealth.

Pricing

  • $95/month per individual (age 18+)

  • $180/month per couple

  • +$80/month per child (one household adult must also be a member)

What’s included? In short, access to your provider. Secure messaging, texting, and video visits; evening and weekend appointments; cash-pay lab pricing — and, most importantly, a long-term relationship with a trusted health advisor that can’t be disrupted by changes in insurance, employers, or politics.

FAQ

I never get sick. Does it really make sense to have a provider at my beck and call? Show Your Work is about lasting relationships, not transactional services. I’m certainly here when you’re sick, but also as a resource for your health questions, your curiosities about nutrition or exercise, or when you’re looking for some accountability or encouragement. The membership model is the only payment model in health care that actually rewards the provider for keeping you healthy. (For a moment, think about what that says about the rest of our “healthcare” system.)

Do I still need insurance? Yes, to cover expensive health surprises like surgery or an ER visit. However, since so many basic medical needs are taken care of by Show Your Work, members often find that adding a SYW membership is less expensive (and more satisfying) than the premium increase to purchase the next higher level of insurance coverage.

Do I still need an in-person PCP? It depends on your age and overall health status. Many patients will not be appropriate for 100% telehealth management. For example, an eight-year-old child absolutely needs a yearly in-person pediatrician visit to monitor growth and development, and someone with high blood pressure and diabetes would need a PCP ‘of record’ who could listen to their heart once or twice a year (I can’t do that over a computer screen!). But both of the above patients could still use Show Your Work for sick visits, med refills, and general health advice, which means they’d probably need their PCP significantly less. And other patients may not have the same need for a true PCP — for example, a college student with access to student health, or a healthy woman who sees her GYN once a year for a hands-on physical exam, could both easily use Show Your Work for the remainder of their care.

What about vaccines? Routine vaccinations are not included in the membership price because, by law, they must be covered by all insurance policies or by the state of North Carolina. There are multiple convenient options for scheduling these at pharmacies, health departments, or retail health clinics.