Membership Questions
Our affordable monthly fee covers comprehensive primary care through unrestricted office visits for acute and/or chronic conditions, annual physical exams, well-child exams, employment physicals, school physicals, basic office procedures, and after-hours care via text, email, phone, video, all with minimal to no wait time in the office. Patients have 24/7/365 access to Dr. Corbafor acute issues outside of regular office hours. We schedule same-day/next-day appointments for sick visits.
For their membership fee, our patients also enjoy access to deeply discounted labs, imaging/radiology testing, and generic medications dispensed directly from the office for pennies on the dollar!
We advise that you discuss this further with your accountant. Anything we order such as labs, radiology, and medications can be applied to HSA, HRA, FSA, or out–of–network deductible if using insurance.
There is a one-time signup fee of $50. Outside of that, your periodic membership fee (paid monthly or -some people choose to pay in larger increments) is all that is required. This will cover the costs of providing care to you and/or your family throughout the year. We will not charge or collect any copayments/coinsurance/deductibles for visits since we don’t participate with insurance/bill for our services and your care is covered by your medical service fee. When you come for a visit, it’s okay to leave your wallet at home. You’re covered!
Green Hills Direct Primary Care proudly provides primary care services to patients of all ages.
In order to provide the highest possible level of personalized, quality health care to patients who choose our Direct Primary Care office, we must limit membership.
As a result, once our practice panel is full, new patients are placed on a waiting list. As openings become available, you will be contacted by a member of our team to schedule a free “Meet and Greet” appointment so you can meet Dr. Cobra, the staff, ask questions, and complete the enrollment process if you so choose. Patients usually receive a call between 2 and 4 weeks after being added to our waiting list.
We expect to have an open, honest, respectful relationship with you. If you have voiced a complaint that we cannot satisfy together, you reserve the right to terminate your membership which is a contractual agreement. If your membership is canceled, terms of cancellation will be applied and are outlined in our Patient Agreement. The details can be discussed with Dr. Corba or her staff at any time.
General Questions
Direct Primary Care is a nationwide movement of Primary Care physicians who have disembarked from the insurance companies and their assembly-line model of medicine in favor of re-establishing the patient-doctor relationship. It is a form of concierge medicine that is designed to be affordable for the masses. We operate on a monthly membership fee, much like a gym, which allows patients to receive unrestricted office visits and what we call technology visits (email and cell phone/text messages, video visits).
Because DPC practices do not participate in any insurance plans, the providers can avoid the increasingly costly documentation demands and administrative intrusions that come with accepting insurance. DPC practices also avoid the onerous patient data collection responsibilities that many plans impose. These require staff, time, and money which drives up healthcare costs and most importantly, often amounts to substantial instructions on patient care.
DPC physicians avoid these obligations to insurance companies, and by doing so are free to spend that time listening to and treating patients. And because DPC physicians eliminate the significant overhead costs of participating in insurance, they can pass the savings on to you, the patient. The result is compassionate, attentive, and timely access to health care at an affordable cost.
This is not like MDVIP. MDVIP doctors still contract with insurance companies, and as a result are required to collect a copayment, coinsurance, deductibles, and any non-covered service fees as required by health insurance and will bill your plan for each visit.
MDVIP doctors also have a much higher periodic medical service fee (an annual fee is usually required)
Lastly, MDVIP offices are unlikely to sell wholesale medications and lab services. We are able to do all of this because we don’t take insurance.
Many patients today have high deductible plans, where the insurance won’t cover the first several thousand dollars that they spend. However, with our DPC membership model, patients can maximize the amount of healthcare they get and minimize their costs by saving dollars that would normally be applied to deductibles for primary care. We know that patients are avoiding basic health care needs due to these high deductibles. Basic primary care should not be so expensive that folks avoid their preventative care and/or attention to acute illnesses.
Again, In the DPC model of care, we work with our patients directly through a periodic (monthly) membership so they get unrestricted office visits and remote care outside of the office. And none of these visits have copays, especially telemedicine encounters.
Procedures we perform in our office, at no extra charge and included in the periodic fee, are transparently listed in the Patient Agreement. They are also listed on the Services page of this website.
In addition, we operate an onsite dispensary, which allows us to order generic prescription medications (no controlled substances) for near-wholesale prices. We have negotiated incredible discounts on laboratory testing (drawn in-house or at an outpatient location) and radiology/imaging procedures, providing substantial savings for our patients.
Many insured patients choose to pay Many of our insured patients choose to pay out-of-pocket (or apply to HSA, FSA, HRA) for the deeply discounted prices for these ancillary services instead of applying the costs to insurance deductibles. That way they save their deductible for catastrophic costs like surgery, specialty care, ER visits, etc. Under our DPC model, patients receive affordable, personalized healthcare that promotes wellness.
We love that question and we hear it often! Everyone benefits from medical care personalized directly for them. Our affordable healthcare practice is committed to preventative health maintenance which is a long-term investment in you! Physicals and preventative health visits are not just routine; they are opportunities for early disease detection, much like a state inspection of your car. Every visit, regardless of the reason, will give us the opportunity to get to know you better and to build a long-standing relationship over time. As a result, personal healthcare plans can be developed that are tailored to the individual needs of each patient. Traditional medical practices, which are insurance-driven, find it difficult to forge this relationship effectively, which is another reason why Dr. Corba embraced the DPC model in 2016. How will I know if Dr. Corba and Green Hills Direct Family Care are right for me? Since you are on our website, you are on the right track already! If you like what you have read so far, we invite you to call us at the office so that we can personally answer your questions.
Green Hills Direct Family Care believes in transparent pricing for all of your medical expenses. You will always know exactly what your medical care will cost. View a complete list of our prices here.
Because we are an insurance-free practice, we can directly purchase name-brand and generic prescriptions at wholesale cost from the manufacturer. We will pass these prescription medication savings directly on to you. In addition, we have a contract with a lab to purchase lab testing at wholesale prices with these savings passed directly on to you as well. Finally, we have a direct relationship for cash-pay imaging services, such as X-rays, CTs, and MRIs, all at a substantial discount. Much like a membership at Sam’s Club, membership in our practice gets you these cost-saving discounts on medications, lab tests, and imaging services. If a patient chooses to use insurance for these services, they may do so with Dr. Corba’s test order(s).
We treat acute and chronic health problems.
At present, our patients, if hospitalized, are seen by the hospital staff which is the industry norm. We will keep “tabs” on you while in the hospital and then schedule a follow-up appointment after discharge. Dr. Corba has been on staff for twenty years at both LVHN and SLUHN and has access to both Epic systems. This access allows her to track the progress of her patients while hospitalized. Our commitment to wellness is designed to help you avoid being hospitalized as best we can by early detection of disease and/or subtle signs that an existing disease state is worsening. Having a non-pressured doctor who is always available to assist in your health care is key to helping to reduce hospital stays. We will still refer patients to medical specialists as necessary and will work with the specialist to provide you with the quality care you deserve. Again, because Dr. Corba has been on staff at both local hospital systems for over two decades, she has great working relationships with specialty offices and physicians at SLUHN and LVHN.
Absolutely not, patient privacy is a natural benefit of this affordable medical care model. Unless compelled by law, we will never give a third-party access to your medical information unless you specifically ask us to do so. Your health records are safe and secure with Green Hill Direct Family Care!
If you need medical care while traveling, contact us! We will determine the most effective means of communication and determine the best approach to handle your specific situation. Again, we can connect via email, cell phone, text message, or video. We will help you find the nearest pharmacy and prescribe the medications you need if your condition can be safely handled remotely. If your medical issue requires immediate medical attention, Dr. Corba will refer you to the nearest ER. If a patient prefers to pay cash at the pharmacy, Dr. Corba will even help procure discount coupons to be applied to your prescription(s)! In addition, as a patient of Green Hills Direct Family Care, you may consult with other Direct Primary Care physicians across the country; many will see you for a one-time visit fee.
Of course, you can and you should if you are unwell! We are always here and always available to provide you with the personal care you deserve. We understand that acute illnesses and injuries do not always occur during office hours; therefore, you may call us at any time. You can contact us via email, cell phone, or text message. We want to make healthcare more accessible to you!
Any medical charges that are not covered will be added and applied to your preferred method of payment. Our office bills for any extra services once weekly, on Fridays. You will receive an invoice for these services via email for your records.
Medicare & Insurance Questions
We do not accept health insurance of any kind in order to provide you with the patient-centered care you deserve. The most pivotal and difficult decision that we have made is to cut all ties with insurance companies. Our “care” philosophy is absolutely vital to the health and well-being of our patients, and Dr. Corba is committed to forging a direct personal relationship with each patient. This allows GHDFC the freedom to see patients on our terms without being tied to the rhetoric and rules of insurance companies which diminishes patient-centered care.
Although health insurance is NOT necessary for membership, Green Hills Direct Family Care/DPC does not replace insurance, and ideally, we strongly encourage and recommend that our patients have some type of health insurance plan to help cover the costs of medical care that they receive from medical providers/facilities outside of our practice. The majority of our patient panel is insured which includes commercial and employer plans, Medicare, Medicaid, Health Sharing Plans, etc.
Insurance will help cover costs associated with, but not limited to, prescription medications we cannot purchase through our in-office dispensary, specialist consultations, ER/Urgent Care visits, hospitalizations, and surgeries. You should consult with an insurance broker of your choice to help you find a plan that works best for your needs alongside the DPC model. We can also provide suggestions, but Dr. Corba is NOT a licensed insurance broker. Folks should also know that there are cash prices for these more expensive services too now! Dr. Corba can help you navigate those situations as well.
Green Hills Direct Family Care is an insurance-free medical practice which means that we do not accept insurance of any kind. This does NOT mean, however, that patients with insurance cannot become members of Green Hills Direct Family Care. If you choose NOT to access our discounted prescriptions, generic medications, labs, and imaging services, you can use your insurance with any order written by Dr. Corba. Again, payment for medical services provided through our office will be covered by the membership fee. Any additional fees are made affordable for patients and are transparently listed in the Patient Agreement. We are happy to discuss these exceptions at a Meet and Great appointment or over the phone; some examples are a $5.00 blood draw fee, a $25.00 urine drug screen, and certain vaccines given in the office.
Because we do not contract with any insurance companies, we do advise you to review your insurance contract regarding “Out-of-Network” benefits for possible reimbursement of services you receive from us.
As the Affordable Care Act was being crafted, several doctors worked very diligently to insert into the legislation a clause that allows for Direct Primary Care practices like ours to be a legal option under the health reform bill as long as it is coupled with an ACA-complaint plan.
Yes, you can. You will need to sign a waiver declaring that neither you nor your doctor will directly bill Medicare for our affordable medical services. Even though Medicare will not pay us for any services you receive in our practice, your Medicare benefits will otherwise remain unchanged and can continue to be used for all other medical care received outside of our practice. Medicare will still cover any laboratory testing, imaging, medications, or hospitalizations prescribed by Dr. Corba.
Many times patients purchase expensive “Cadillac” plans that require little or no co-pay and that cover all lab costs and prescription costs—although these policies are few and far in-between. Patients with this type of insurance coverage state that they join GHDFC/DPC for the personal attention and access to their own personal physician. These patients save on co-pays AND on something called “Opportunity Costs” which relate to time…such as time in the waiting room (there is rarely anyone ever in our waiting room), face-to-face time with the physician, same-day or next-day sick visits, and 30-60 minute appointments, etc.
We recommend checking with your human resources department and/or lawyer/accountant regarding the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA’s) as possible payment options for your annual membership. If you are unable to use these funds to pay for the annual membership fee directly, there is a good chance that you can still use your HSA/FSA as reimbursement for certain services provided through our office.