Primary Care - The Crucial Entrance to Any Health Plan

By: Nic Hayes

Primary care is the crucial front door to almost all healthcare needs. Primary care providers ensure you stay healthy, treat you when you’re sick, and direct you to specialist care when needed. According to a study conducted by the Purchaser Business Group on Health, U.S. adults who regularly see a primary care physician have 33% lower health care costs and 19% lower odds of dying prematurely than those who only see a specialist. 

However, over the past decade, the dynamic between primary care physicians and their patients has begun to shift. It has become increasingly difficult for patients to access their primary care physician and foster this relationship. Many market forces have pressured doctors to see more patients, spend less time with patients, spend more time on administration and documentation, and increase the number of referrals out to specialists. Additionally, the supply of physicians is not keeping up with the need. More physicians are retiring or leaving primary care due these administrative burdens and high patient loads. The outcome is a poor primary care experience and poorer health for patients, and more care going to a high cost setting. 

How to Open the Front Door

The importance of primary care cannot be understated, so as a plan sponsor or advisor, how can you ensure that all members have the access they need no matter where they are geographically all while keeping healthcare costs contained?  

The Hint Connect network of Direct Primary Care (DPC) practices brings access to accessible, reliable primary care to employers and benefits leaders with their network of vetted clinicians and purpose-built technology. Through their focus on Direct Primary Care, Hint Connect wants to make direct care the standard of care as they believe that everyone deserves the quality of care that DPC delivers. So let’s dive into what differentiates the Direct Primary Care model and how Hint Connect can be a viable solution for employers.

From a care standpoint, it is easy to see the advantages presented by Direct Primary Care. DPC works to foster a relationship between physicians and patients tackling the root cause of poor health and uncontrolled chronic conditions. Direct Primary Care physicians have time to address the root causes of poor health because  their panels are about a quarter of the number of patients that a typical primary care doctor sees. Patients have more time with their doctor, and can access their doctor after hours, virtually, and same day or next for urgent issues. 

From an employer standpoint, offering DPC is a major differentiator for employees. DPC is proven to increase engagement and satisfaction. 80% of employees surveyed indicated that their opinion of their employer increased significantly and that their health improved once they were offered access to Direct Primary Care.  The benefit the Direct Primary Care provides goes beyond the quality of care; it also can result in significant cost savings. Actuarially validated studies show that companies who offer DPC experience a 13% reduction in total healthcare costs for patients with DPC vs. those without, primarily due to better employee health and shift in the site of care. 

Finding Value Once Inside

Hint Connect allows large and geographically dispersed employers to unlock access to the thousands of independent DPC practices across the US through one single contract.  Employers benefit from one single enrollment and billing process, standardized services, and Hint Connect’s full support in employee education and benefit implementation. Since their inception, Hint Connect has grown into the largest network of vetted independent DPC clinics in the US allowing employers to utilize DPC no matter where their employees live. Additionally, employers can access the network through Hint Connect’s best-in-class technology that powers enrollment, clinician selection, invoicing and payment to each DPC in the network. 

“If I have a client with 23 offices across the country, Hint Connect connects the dots for us. Before Hint Connect, we would literally have to make 23 phone calls, have 23 different conversations, 23 different contracts, 23 different payment levels. It was a nightmare. This makes that process much, much easier. It's fantastic."

-David Contorno

Founder, E-Powered Benefits

If primary care is the front door to your health, Hint Connect and their network of Direct Primary Care practices are working to hold that door open, increasing access and quality of care for the betterment of employee health and the overall health plan. As brokers and advisors, it’s our responsibility to educate our groups about innovative ways to improve the health and lives of their employers. 

To learn more about Hint Connect and submit your first group for geoanalysis visit connect.hint.com. 

“Working with the amazing team at Hint Connect has enabled us to offer a world class experience to our members and the DPCs we work with nationwide."

-Nick Soman

CEO, Decent Health

We are proud to feature Hint Connect on the Granite List.