Family Medicine Office in Detroit Accepting New Patients

Plum Health DPC is a Family Medicine Office in Detroit Michigan that is accepting new patients. For new and prospective patients, we’re excited to share our latest 3D rendering of our office - you can now take a virtual tour of our Plum Health DPC office using the navigation system below. We have a waiting room, a conference room, 3 exam rooms, a medication room, and more.

Check out this excellent 3D rendering created by our friends at The Handbuilt City. Here’s what they had to say about our service:

Plum Health DPC (Direct Primary Care) is a family practice doctor’s office in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, occupying a storefront space in the new development at the former Tiger Stadium. Dr. Paul Thomas, MD, and Dr. Raquel Orlich, DO, are the two doctors here, while Dr. Jamie Qualls, DO, MPH, operates out of a new office in Farmington Hills. Paul has written two books, one explaining the emergent phenomenon of Direct Primary Care, and one explaining the practice for doctors from a startup and entrepreneurial standpoint.

The Handbuilt City had more good things to say:

Plum Health started a few blocks away in the Detroit School of Digital Technology, a former police precinct, on West Vernor Highway. DPC is a healthcare model that emphasizes individual access. Patients pay a subscription fee per month, the “direct” part of the DPC– almost like “medicine-as-a-service.” Patients can text, call, or e-mail their doctor directly, rather than having to schedule weeks-out appointments through the increasingly byzantine and faceless processes of corporate medicine. In comparison, one might pay five times more per month for a high-deductible health insurance plan, but might have to nonetheless wait weeks to schedule an appointment with a doctor who doesn’t have the time to get to know you as a patient. DPC also provides affordable access to a range of common medications, affordable lab testing, vaccinations, and more.

As GoodRX notes: “[DPC] physicians are able to avoid the time normally spent preparing and filing insurance paperwork. This allows for in-depth visits and consultations with their patients. Direct primary care practices also typically have fewer patients than those accepting insurance.”

The practice has been well-reviewed on Google (5.0 stars out of 72 reviews) and Yelp (5.0 stars out of 5 reviews). See JC Reindl’s write-up in the Free Press, coverage from MJ Galbraith in Model D Media, and this article from TheHUB.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day,

-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC

Plum Health Grows into a Larger Office in Corktown

Plum Health expands into mixed-use development at former Tiger Stadium site in Corktown

Memberships and interest in Direct Primary Care prompted the move to a 1,700 square foot retail space at The Corner.

Detroit, Michigan, November 4th, 2019 - Plum Health DPC is pleased to announce that they have expanded their presence in Detroit by moving into a new 1,700 square foot retail space at The Corner, a mixed-use development on the former Tiger Stadium site at Michigan Avenue and Trumbull. 

Doctors Paul Thomas, MD and Raquel Orlich, DO have moved from their previous location in Southwest Detroit to a much larger, tailored, and community-oriented space in Corktown. The move was prompted by the increasing demand for Plum Health’s innovative services and the desire to be more easily accessible to patients.

Additionally, the new space will allow Plum Health to have the capacity to add a third physician, further expanding access to primary care in Detroit. With a third physician, Plum Health will be able to serve over 1,500 patients through their low-cost membership model. Having more doctors will further address Detroit’s primary care shortage.

"From the first moment I met Dr. Thomas I knew his business reflected the genuine values of the Corktown community as well as our efforts to embrace small, local, innovative, Detroit businesses," said Eric Larson, President/CEO of Larson Realty Group. "I am thrilled to welcome Plum Health to The Corner."

Plum Health’s move and build-out into their new space has been supported by a $50,000 grant from the Motor City Match and a $50,000 award from the Quicken Loans Detroit Demo Day.

“Quicken Loans Detroit Demo Day exists to bring capital and exposure to businesses in Detroit – especially those with innovative products or services that are creating amenities and jobs in the city. Seeing Plum Health deploy that capital to scale their operations and serve more patients is exactly the kind of outcome we hope for.” - Lauren Hoffman, Director of Entrepreneurship, Quicken Loans Community Fund.

Doctors Paul Thomas, MD and Raquel Orlich, DO of Plum Health DPC in their new office at the Corner, 1620 Michigan Ave, Suite 125, Detroit MI 48216. We are excited to welcome the community into our space.

More about Plum Health DPC

At Plum Health, we believe that health care should be affordable and accessible for everyone. Members of the practice can call, text, or email the doctor anytime they need health care services. We guarantee same-day/next-day appointments. Additionally, patients have access to wholesale medications, at-cost imaging services, and at-cost lab work. Plum Health began in November 2016 with 8 patients, and now has 550 active patients, spanning in age from 4 months to 101 years of age. Our vision is to provide the best healthcare experience in Detroit and beyond.

More about Drs. Paul Thomas and Raquel Orlich 

Dr. Paul Thomas is a board-certified family medicine physician practicing in Southwest Detroit. His practice is Plum Health DPC, a Direct Primary Care service that is the first of its kind in Detroit and Wayne County. His mission is to deliver affordable, accessible health care services in Detroit and beyond. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He served as Chief Resident at Oakwood Family Medicine Residency Program. He has been featured on WDIV-TV Channel 4, WXYZ Channel 7, Crain's Detroit Business and CBS Radio. He has been a speaker at TEDxDetroit and is an author of the book Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System.

Dr. Raquel Orlich is a board-certified family physician. She loves the energy that Detroit has to offer and strives to make healthcare affordable and accessible to Detroit residents and beyond. She is passionate about quality patient-centered care and establishing strong doctor-patient relationships. Her clinical interests include osteopathic manipulative medicine for chronic musculoskeletal issues, women’s health, and preventative health. She is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency training at Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital where she served as Chief Resident.  

More about Direct Primary Care 

The direct primary care (DPC) model gives family physicians a meaningful alternative to fee-for-service insurance billing, typically by charging patients a monthly, quarterly, or annual fee (i.e., a retainer) that covers all or most primary care services including clinical, laboratory, and consultative services, and care coordination and comprehensive care management. Because some services are not covered by a retainer, DPC practices often suggest that patients acquire a high-deductible wraparound policy to cover emergencies.

Direct primary care benefits patients by providing substantial savings and a greater degree of access to, and time with, physicians.

Taken from the American Academy of Family Physicians website: https://www.aafp.org/practice-management/payment/dpc.htm

Panoramic view of our new Plum Health office in Corktown. Our office remains in a Health Professional Shortage Area and we are very happy to continue to serve the community out of this new space.