The Bad Business Decisions That Built a 1,500-Patient Direct Primary Care Practice with Dr. Charles Opperman - Part 1

Is age-based pricing really the only way to run a Direct Primary Care practice? Dr. Charles Opperman, internist and founder of Simplicity Health in Ohio, didn't think so. He planned his Direct Primary Care practice during COVID while his hospital system made him sit in an empty office from 8:00 to 5:00, and he built it on memberships priced by access instead of age. Six years later, Simplicity Health has 1,500 patients and four physicians, even after an online post about his tiered model drew comments saying it was "certain to fail." His approach charges more for cell phone access and a concierge tier, not for being older, so an 80-year-old who never texts isn't paying more than a 30-year-old who does. After his DPC Summit talk on running a thriving practice while making "bad business decisions," Dr. Anne Gonzalez sat down with him to answer the questions other physicians sent in about his tiers, his concierge option, how he pays and recruits physicians, and the mistakes he'd avoid if he started over. **IN THIS EPISODE** - What is tiered Direct Primary Care pricing, and how is it different from age-based pricing? - How do you decide what to charge for cell phone access? - Why add a concierge tier to a Direct Primary Care practice? - How do you keep track of multiple membership tiers? - What pricing mistakes should new Direct Primary Care practices avoid? - How do you recruit physicians to a growing Direct Primary Care practice? - Should a Direct Primary Care practice use the word "concierge" in its marketing? If you're a physician launching or growing a Direct Primary Care practice and figuring out how to price your memberships, this conversation is one you'll want to hear. **About Dr. Charles Opperman** Dr. Charles Opperman is an internal medicine physician and the owner and founder of Simplicity Health Direct Primary Care in Ohio, which he opened in 2020. - Email: drcharlesopperman@gmail.com - Website: https://www.simplicityhealthdpc.com/ - IG: https://www.instagram.com/simplicityhealthdpc - FB: https://www.facebook.com/SimplicityHealthDPC/ Full show notes and transcript: dpclife.com/episode/55-charles-opperman Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com/club Direct Primary Care resources: https://dpclife.com/startPractice Audit: https://24-7-bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/audit **ENJOY THIS EPISODE?** - Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps other Direct Primary Care physicians find the show. - Share with any physician who is rethinking how to price their Direct Primary Care memberships. - Subscribe so you do not miss the next episode. 🚀 Pre-launch or in your first year of Direct Primary Care? The Early Practice Plan is the Harmony Ops program I built for physicians who are still figuring out the systems, the messaging, and the day-to-day of running a new practice. You get operations, patient flow, CRM, and the marketing foundation that carries you through year one. $99 per 28 days for your first three billing cycles, then $349/cycle. New to Direct Primary Care or just getting started? Check out the Early Practice Plan. 👉 https://bot.harmonyopsfordpc.com/earlypp-page **Connect with DPC Life** - Website: https://dpclife.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dpclife/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dpclife - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dpc-life-podcast - YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thedpclifepodcast Connect with Anne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gonzalez-dpc/ Follow the show and join the DPC Life Community: https://dpclife.com/club