What is Direct Primary Care or “DPC”?
Direct Primary Care is a membership model of primary care that enables the patient to have a close relationship with their doctor. The member pays a low monthly fee in return for their primary care needs. This means easy access to your doctor (whether by phone, email, text, or in person) in a timely fashion. Most other clinics have 15-20 min visits but this model allows for 30-60 min visits. Also, your doctor works for you, not a 3rd party which can interfere with the relationship (insurance and large hospital organizations needing to make the bottom line, etc). Insurance is not charged. This allows your doctor to cut down on overhead and spend more time with you.
Direct Primary care to Dr. Myhre is about taking time with a patient to address their personal health goals and maintaining health. When a patient does experience illness, Dr. Myhre aims to help through education regarding the disease and treating mind, body, and spirit, not just the symptoms.
What is included in the membership at Koru Health?
For a low, flat monthly fee, you get primary care office visits with no copays, direct access to Dr. Myhre (by phone, email, or video chat), extended, relaxed office visits, and discounts on labs. For more information go to our Member Benefits page.
Is a Koru Health membership considered health insurance?
No, we are not considered health insurance. The membership does not provide comprehensive health insurance coverage. It provides only the health care services specifically described in the Agreement.
Does Koru Health accept health insurance?
No, we do not accept health insurance. This is how we keep our costs low.
As a patient of Koru Health, will I still need health insurance?
Yes. We recommend our patients continue to carry health insurance for services not covered by our membership (such as emergencies, hospitalization, surgery, diagnostics, specialist care, etc).
If I have Medicare, can I still join Koru Health?
Yes! However, Koru Health/Dr. Myhre will not bill Medicare for any care provided by Koru Health. This allows Dr. Myhre to give people with Medicare the same level of outstanding, accessible care she is able to give to everyone else. If you are enrolled with Medicare, you will be asked to sign a form at your first visit. This will demonstrate that you understand Koru Health/Dr. Myhre will not bill Medicare for any of Dr. Myhre’s services. It also shows you agree to not bill Medicare for any of Dr. Myhre’s services. However, Medicare may still be billed for any and all services outside Dr. Myhre’s direct care, including but not limited to labs, radiology, specialist visits, and hospital care. Seeing Dr. Myhre doesn’t limit your ability to use Medicare for everything else!
What happens if I need to go to the hospital or need to see a specialist?
The Koru Health membership does not include hospitalization or specialist care. If a patient does require hospitalization, Dr. Myhre is happy to communicate with your hospital team and help coordinate follow up. If a patient needs to see a specialist, she is happy to coordinate that care as well. She has access to EPIC, the health record used by our local hospital (Olympic Medical Center), as well as Providence and Swedish Medical Centers in Seattle.
I am already paying for insurance, why would I pay for a membership too?
Your direct primary care membership enables you to have direct access, longer visits, and a more personalized approach with Dr. Myhre. This is difficult to do when a practice also has to meet all the requirements that insurance demands. However, your insurance can help when you need to get imaging or labs (if less expensive than the wholesale price Koru Health can offer you), or you get really sick and need emergency/hospital care. It can also help when specialist care is needed.
By paying the monthly fee, it enables Dr. Myhre to have lower overhead and more time with you. Dealing with insurance cost a lot more for the doctor and takes time away from the patient.
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