Dr. Andrew Anderson: Boonsboro Direct Primary Care

I met with Dr. Andrew Anderson to discuss opening “Boonsboro Direct Primary Care”, a new medical practice located in Lynchburg, Virginia. I wanted to interview Dr. Anderson because his practice has a unique approach to how health care is delivered.

The Business Model

Dr. Anderson’s business model breaks from the norm by not accepting insurance, accepting only a limited number of patients and charging a reasonable monthly fee for services.

This business model, commonly referred to as Direct Primary Care, gives patients personalized access to a wide range of medical services and allows physicians to escape time consuming insurance billing. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) states that, “Direct primary care (DPC) has been gaining momentum over the past few years as an alternative physician practice model. This trend is becoming less of a fad and more of a viable solution for physicians who want to break away from traditional healthcare delivery systems. More doctors are making the transition to this subscription/membership-based service so they can practice medicine as it was meant to be – patient focused.”

Dr. Anderson’s is looking to serve 600 patients. The monthly fee for an individual is $80.00, for a coupe it is $135.00 and for a family of up to 5-people the fee is $165.00 ($10 per additional child).  When “Boonsboro Direct Primary Care” opens in November 2018, Dr Anderson will provide the same medical services you would expect from your family or primary doctor.  To see a list of services, go to: http://boonsborodirectprimarycare.com/services/

Why Direct Primary Care?

When asked what prompted him to leave his practice and start this new endeavor, Dr. Anderson told me that he was shopping at the Dollar Store when he saw two patients that recognized him but he didn’t recognize them. He told me that, “as a family doctor I specialize in patients”, and when he didn’t recognize his own patients it was time to find a new approach.

When Dr. Anderson worked at local family practice he was responsible for the health care needs of 2,400 patients.  Dr. Anderson wanted to chart a new course that would provide him the opportunity to “specialize in patients”. Direct Primary Care provided that opportunity.

The Practice

I inquired about the difficulties or obstacle associated with opening his own medical practice, and his response surprised me. I expected to hear that the process was challenging or difficult but he informed me that everything progressed smoothly and that he had not experience many obstacles.

He plans to keep overhead low having his wife help in the office and only hiring one full-time nurse. He informed me that his annual malpractice insurance premium was 93% less than when he worked for a large family practice. Because a DPC doctor hve fewer patients and more time with each one, there are fewer mistakes and fewer claims are made against them. (Interestingly, studies show that patients who know & like their doctor are less likely to sue them). He stated that the insurance industry is ahead of the curve with understandkng DPC physicians which  translate into greatly reduced  premiums.

Dr. Anderson use Atlas.Md for his practice management software. Atlas.md enables users to schedule appointments, maintain patient records, print prescriptions and manage billing. Atlas.md meets all HIPAA compliance regulations. You can find out more about Atlas.MD at https://atlas.md/features/. Atlas.md is a monthly subscription service.

Dr. Anderson and Boonsboro Direct Primary Care can be reached at:

• Web:               www.boonsborodirectprimarycare.com
• Phone:             434-214-0722
• Email:             admin@boonsboropc.com
• Address:          4327 Boonsboro Rd Ste 5, Lynchburg, VA 24503