FAQs

MyMD Direct does not bill insurance companies for any of the services provided.  Insurance is not required for membership.

Direct Primary Care membership is not an insurance policy and does not provide coverage outside of the primary care services outlined in this section of the website where coverage is explained. 

However, an accompanying insurance policy is strongly recommended to cover unexpected major medical expenses related to accidents, injuries, surgeries, and hospitalizations.  Just one of these may seriously impact the financial security of you and your family.

Historically speaking, a DPC membership works well with a High Deductible Health Plan or a Medical Cost Sharing Plan.  You should carefully consider, familiarize yourself, and feel comfortable with the out-of-pocket expense affiliated with the insurance plan you have chosen for any major medical expenses.

Insurance is not required for membership. MyMD Direct does not bill insurance companies for any of the services provided.

Direct Primary Care membership is not an insurance policy and does not provide coverage outside of the primary care services outlined in this section of the website where coverage is explained. 

Medicare patients are one group of patients that truly benefit from all of the features of a DPC practice.

Please note, however, that membership for a Medicare patient does require a separately signed mutual agreement that you, MyMD Direct, and Dr. Mabry will not file any claims to Medicare for services rendered by Dr. Mabry or MyMD Direct. By opting out of Medicare, Dr. Mabry can then perform a complete yearly physical exam instead of the Medicare Wellness Evaluation that is an approved benefit for Medicare beneficiaries.

If you have not already been seen for a Medicare Wellness Visit, this evaluation is directed by a questionnaire regarding the review of your past year of medical care including the names of your sub-specialty providers, dates of screenings and vaccinations, home safety evaluation, assessment of your memory, and screening questions for depression.

Based upon government regulations, physical contact with the patient is not allowed as part of your wellness visit. Ordering laboratory tests is allowed at the time of your wellness visit. However, any additional items including evaluating a patient’s concern, adjusting medications for a chronic condition, or even physically touching the patient to listen to their heart or lungs is considered a separate and mandatory billing in order to prevent a violation of Medicare rules.

Split billing or billing an office visit in addition to your wellness visit has become a prominent complaint of Medicare beneficiaries to healthcare providers. This procedure is truly not a decision that originates from your doctor. Hospitals and large clinics constantly monitor for any potential coding violations that may result in a Medicare investigation for fraud or enticement.

The US government has very strict enforced guidelines pertaining to what can be done during a Medicare Wellness Visit. A doctor that is intentionally giving “free” services is defined as “enticement” as it is felt the addition of non-covered services to the standard wellness visit provides a reason for more Medicare patients to seek care from this provider.

Medicare patients are entitled to all of the other benefits of MyMD Direct including real-time access to Dr. Mabry and relaxed/extended visits. This is particularly helpful when the Medicare patient has a complex medical history and treatment regimens that involve multiple sub-specialists prescribing medications.

The luxury of time gives Dr. Mabry and the patient the chance to coordinate their fragmented care, evaluate for the continued need for medications, and establish whether dosing adjustments are needed.

As part of the natural aging process, it is normal for a patient’s body chemistry to change, which results in the need for these dose adjustments (typically less medication) and gives consideration for the discontinuation of unnecessary or intolerable medications due to side effects.

Dr. Mabry feels strongly that hurried visits with a more complex patient can often lead to misunderstandings and/or misconceptions by the doctor and patient. Taking extra time with this particular patient population to thoroughly explain their medical conditions and involve them in their personal treatment decisions can improve their quality of life. In fact, stopping a medication that has become toxic to the patient can be a lifesaving intervention.

After reading the materials on the website, patients are invited to arrange a time to visit the practice and meet Dr. Mabry to discuss any questions or concerns.   Appointments can be scheduled by calling 704-529-9149.

During your visit to MyMD Direct, you will have the opportunity to tour the office, ask any questions you have about your particular situation, discuss applicable rates based on your needs and expectations for utilization of the services offered, and obtain a membership if you desire.

It should be noted that these site visits are free and do not involve treatment or the establishment of a physician-patient relationship unless a membership contract is fully completed and executed.

Monthly membership fees are affordable on almost any budget and provide you with the following benefits:

• 24/7 direct access to Dr. Mabry via his personal cell phone, text, and email, as well as virtual visits (Skype, Facetime) and home/work visits (if established as a need or desire with your membership). Phone calls after hours go directly to Dr. Mabry’s cell phone in order to provide real-time access for any questions or concerns.  This approach eliminates or significantly reduces the need to visit minute clinics, urgent care facilities, or emergency departments as Dr. Mabry is easily accessible to you.  The more providers involved in your care can lead to confusion, medical errors, and serious side effects.
• Office visits to MyMD Direct are included without the need to meet any co-pays or deductibles.
• Once a year, the patient membership includes a complete physical exam with age/sex-appropriate labs at no additional charge.
• Same or next day appointments with minimal, if any, wait time in the office are part of your membership. It is recommended for appointments to be scheduled by calling Dr. Mabry directly to help ensure quick availability, prevent wait times, and make sure there is adequate time for your questions or concerns.   Since home visits are offered, it is best that patients call instead of dropping by the office in case Dr. Mabry is out on a house call.
• Extended and relaxed visits allow for quality patient-centered care without quotas, time limits, or unnecessary documentation for insurance companies during the visit, which limits the time that you spend with your doctor. Mabry and the patient can focus simply on what is best for the patient member in a caring and compassionate environment.
• Generic antibiotic prescriptions for acute illness, if available, are provided at the time of the visit with minimal or no additional charges. This saves time and eliminates your need to visit the pharmacy after your visit.
• Access to wholesale acute and chronic generic medications is available with no additional charges. MyMD Direct has the proper licensing for in-office dispensing of medications for its members.   Please note that the MyMD Direct office DOES NOT order, supply, dispense, or store any controlled substances such as pain medications, ADD medications, anxiety medications, or sleep medications.   MyMD Direct will directly order medications from suppliers and passes all of the savings on to its members.  These prices are significantly lower than those provided by GoodRx and similar programs.
• Access to wholesale labs with direct-to-member pricing. Pricing for these labs is discussed upfront and before they are completed to ensure the patient finds the price affordable.   Yearly physical labs are provided as part of your membership.   Additional labs that are not considered routine are provided at these wholesale prices.
• Access to cash pricing on radiology exams (X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, etc.) from local radiology groups results in significant discounts compared to insurance pricing. Pricing will be discussed with the member and payment to the radiology practice is required upfront at the time of service to ensure these tremendous savings are honored.

Although there are many similarities between these innovative subscription-based models of delivering care, DPC and Concierge Medical Care are two separate and distinct ways of care delivery. Both DPC and Concierge Medical Care center on developing a robust physician-patient relationship through extended visits and timely access to the physician through multiple methods of communication that are simply not possible in a pure fee-for-service healthcare model. Both have their own distinct advantages and we encourage patients to investigate all options before making a decision.

By definition, the major differences between DPC and Concierge Medical Care are once again defined predominantly by the method of billing.

While DPC physicians do not bill insurance companies for the services that they provide, Concierge Medicine’s yearly membership fees are in addition to billing a patient’s insurance for a particular level of service for each visit that is consistent with a traditional fee-for-service practice. Concierge care tends to focus on value-added premium services (offerings will vary extensively within each practice but typically includes executive lab panels, dietician services, etc.) that are usually not a benefit covered by insurance plans.

DPC practices avoid insurance billing completely in order to keep the overhead and other costs lower for their patients. On average, Concierge Medical Care encompasses annual fees that are 2 to 3 times that of a DPC practice.

Patient panels are small for both DPC and Concierge Medical Care; however, DPC physicians typically restrict their patient number to less than 600 and Concierge physicians care for less than 300 patient members.

Generally speaking, Concierge Medical Care is delivered per a yearly contractual agreement.   In contrast, DPC practice contracts are based on monthly terms with an automatic renewal until the practice receives proper notification of the termination of services.