Plum Health Blog
Paul Thomas MD Presents at the AAFP DPC Summit 2021
Paul Thomas MD Presents at the AAFP DPC Summit 2021
Today I'm presenting at a national conference about Direct Primary Care.
I'll be at the AAFP DPC Summit 2021 talking about how doctors can connect with their patients and communities to grow their practices.
It's an honor to be selected as a thought leader in this space, and my aim is to help doctors start and grow successful direct primary care practices!
Learn more at about the DPC Summit, here.
If you’re a doctor wanting to start your own DPC practice, read more here.
If you’re a patient, and you would like excellent primary care services for yourself, your family, or your business, you can enroll here.
#StartupDPC #PlumHealth #DirectPrimaryCare #FamilyMedicine #Detroit #AAFP #DPCSummit2021 #PaulThomasMD #PlumHealthDPC #DirectCare #PrimaryCare
Doctors Embracing Startup DPC Book on Social Media
Startup DPC Book Gets Great Feedback on Social Media
This week, we’ve been getting a lot of love for the Startup DPC Book on Social Media.
Let me preface this post by stating a few things. First, I’m a physician on a mission to delivery affordable and accessible healthcare here in Detroit and beyond. Second, I’m an educator. Not only am I a clinical assistant professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine, but I also teach in other ways. One of those ways is by teaching other doctors how to successfully start and grow their own direct primary care practices.
I truly believe that direct primary care is a better way of serving our patients - we have more time to listen to our patients, we have more tools to deliver compassionate care, and we can actively lower the cost of medical care for our patients. Therefore, I want to reach as many doctors as possible with this information.
My physician colleagues have responded and they’ve sent me some tremendous feedback via social media. Below are a few of those posts!
Direct Primary Care Doctor Inspired by Startup DPC Book
Recently, Rebecca Berens, MD of Vida Family Medicine in Houston Texas sent out very kind post on Instagram. She recently read the Startup DPC book, Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice and she posted a quote on her Instagram that I used in the book from John C Maxwell, “Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it's almost always due to personal growth.”
This is the quote that I used at the beginning of Chapter 6 on How to Prepare for Direct Primary Care While in Residency. I used the quote here because I believe that new doctors and residents have the greatest opportunity to learn a new system of care, and they have a unique opportunity to adopt the DPC model and the DPC mindset before getting enmeshed in the dysfunctional fee-for-service system as an employed physician.
Here’s what Dr. Berens had to say:
I love this quote that Dr. Paul Thomas from @plumhealthdpc added to his new book, #startupdpc Direct Primary Care is a new concept to many patients (and even doctors), but it was truly personal growth that led me to take this path. I was so tired of churning patients through the system in 10 minute increments, never having enough time to really help them in the way I knew I could. Meanwhile, I was arriving home to my family emotionally drained and physically exhausted. Becoming a mother made me realise that I needed to do better, for my patients and my family. Starting your own business is a huge risk (even without a pandemic throwing a wrench in the mix!) but in the end all of the stress and uncertainty it will be worth it.
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Does spending more time at home during pandemic have you reflecting too? How have you grown over the last few months?
TESTIMONIAL FOR STARTUP DPC BOOK AND COURSES
Post from Dr. Prisiliano Salas about the Startup DPC Book and Startup DPC Courses:
Just finished a course by Paul Thomas, M.D. from Plum Health DPC and #startupdpc. Let me just say that Paul knows his stuff. I met him in 2018 at the Family Medicine DPC Summit. He gave a lecture about his experience starting a #DirectPrimaryCare practice and using social media marketing strategies. I've been following him on/off during this time but had not fully made the jump onto social platforms the way he describes it. Now two years later his practice growth is testament to this method. He's full and added a new doc! On top of that he remains faithful to his mission, to empower the #DPC community with his knowledge and reproducible success. I'm now ready to embrace social media to share my knowledge and experience with my patients (though still working up to youtube to get more camera ready 😎 ). Take one of his courses or read one of his 2 books, he won't disappoint. Keep the momentum going!
Thank you so much for the shout out Dr. Salas! and best of luck with your direct primary care practice. I know that you’ll have every advantage on attracting new patients after taking our Sales Funnel course.
Regina Allen Hardin, MD of Modern Medicine made this post on LinkedIn:
Medical Student gives a shout out to the Startup DPC book
This week, Startup DPC got a nice shout out from Pretty Girl Practice on Instagram. If you’re a direct primary care doctor, social media applications like Facebook and Instagram can be great platforms to reach new audiences and also to improve your branding. If you don’t have a Facebook Page or an Instagram page for your direct primary care practice, consider making one to improve how people in your community perceive your brand and your business. I teach doctors how to do this, step-by-step, in the Sales Funnel course on our website, here.
Here’s what Pretty Girl Practice on Instagram had to say about direct primary care:
You pay a monthly membership fee (like Netflix) to your Doctor
You can schedule as many visits as you like with your DOCTOR and text your doctor medical questions when needed (no more Dr. Google 🤓)
Hour long visits and you receive higher quality care (currently insurance companies often have quick 20 minute visits to see more patients and therefore make more money)
great for fields like Family Medicine, Pediatrics, even some Dermatologists use this model
allows Doctors to be entrepreneurs again! and brings back the treasured physician-patient relationship. Also, decreases burnout for physicians. Plus patients are more satisfied, win-win!
I really think DPC will be the practice of the future. It’s the practice a lot of us dreamt of when we first became doctors.
The following image is a screenshot from her story about Direct Primary Care:
Startup DPC gets a nice shout out from PrettyGirlPractice on Instagram.
Sincerely thank you to all of the doctors who’ve picked up a copy of the book and who’ve used their social media platforms to share about the book. I appreciate all of you!
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Startup DPC Book Reaches Number 1 on Amazon in the Physicians Category
This is Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC here in Detroit Michigan. We believe that healthcare should be affordable and accessible for everyone, and we are doing our part to make that happen here in Corktown, and Detroit, and beyond.
However, several doctors have reached out to me and asked how we made Plum Health such a successful direct primary care practice. How are we attracting new patients? How are we lowering the cost of healthcare? How are we lowering the cost of medications, labs, and imaging services? How are we cutting all of the bureaucratic red tape?
I answered all those questions individually for my physician colleagues, but I also saved those answers in a word document, which eventually became this book.
This book is intended to help family physicians and internal medicine physicians start and grow their direct primary care practices. We want to see more doctors adopt this model that lowers healthcare costs and puts patients first.
The response to the book has been tremendous, and we’ve received many great reviews and a ton of great feedback about the content of the book. Thank you so much to everyone who has purchased the book, thank you for everyone who has left a review on Amazon, and thank you for making us number one on Amazon in the physicians category. We sincerely appreciate all of you!
- Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
PS if you're a doctor looking to start a direct primary care practice, check out Startup DPC
Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice is the number 1 new release on Amazon in the Physicians category!
Startup DPC Paperback is Now Available
Direct Primary Care Book Available in Paperback Format
The Startup DPC book is published and it feels amazing to have it in my hands. It took me 3 years to write this book, as I documented many of my experiences in starting and growing a direct primary care practice. I took all of my experience, knowledge, and wisdom and poured it into this text.
My goal is to help other doctors start and grow successful and thriving direct primary care practices. There are so many challenges and obstacles that they will face along the way, and I know that this book will help them overcome those challenges and obstacles.
Today was a big day for me, as I published the book on May 5th, and received my first few copies in the mail today. I'm really excited to see this direct primary care movement grow and I'm wishing all of the DPC doctors out there continued success. I know that we are improving health care for our patients, our communities, and our nation.
Thanks for reading and watching,
- Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Paul Thomas MD Publishes Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice
Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health DPC Publishes a New Book
I am proud and excited to announce that my new book, Startup DPC: How to Start and Grow Your Direct Primary Care Practice has officially been published! And it is currently the #1 new release in Amazon’s Family Practice Medicine category!
Why This Book on Direct Primary Care Was Written?
I wrote this book for so many reasons - to begin with, starting and growing a Direct Primary Care practice has changed my life. I’ve been able to serve people in my community with a high-value family medicine service, I’ve been able to advocate for causes that I feel passionate about, and I’ve been able to be creative in my approach to solving people’s healthcare challenges. In short, I’ve been able to become the doctor I’m meant to be.
I’ve also learned a ton from my colleagues in the direct primary care movement, and I wanted to give back in a tangible way. So, I took all of my learnings, all of my knowledge and wisdom that I’ve gained over the past four years and put those lessons into this book. I’ve had a lot of victories, but I’ve also made a ton of mistakes and I’ve had my share of failures - I wanted to share about the spectrum of success and failure and give my primary care colleagues as many advantages as possible when they set out to do this kind of work.
What The Direct Primary Care Doctors Have Said About Startup DPC
"I have followed Dr. Paul Thomas' career since he started Plum Health DPC in 2016. His ability to integrate podcasts, blogs, and media appearances within his brand is incredible. Dr. Paul presents direct primary care to physicians in a digestible, seamless format that has solidified his position as a DPC influencer across the country. His branding and marketing techniques are top notch, and I can't wait to see what creative ideas he formulates in the future. Dr. Paul is truly a rising star in the DPC movement."
- Dr. James Pinckney II, CEO & Founder Diamond Physicians
"Starting your own direct primary care practice can be a stressful and confusing endeavor. Dr. Paul Thomas does an excellent job alleviating much of that stress and confusion in this detailed, engaging account of starting a successful, thriving practice. If you have ever wondered whether direct primary care might be for you, do yourself a favor and read this book before making that decision - I bet you'll find it less intimidating than you expect."
- Tiffany Leonard, MD, FAAFP, Owner and Physician of Deer View Family Medicine
"Dr. Paul Thomas does it again! An easy to understand and implement guide to making your DPC practice as successful as it can be!"
- Eleanor Host, MD, Whole Family Direct Care
"Dr. Paul's content is simultaneously engaging and thorough, filling a void in the literature up until this point. His latest book is pioneering in its ability to walk someone through the process of starting a direct primary care practice from a to z, hitting on all of the most salient points and leaving nothing to the imagination."
- Phil Hellman, MD, Paradox Health
"Dr. Thomas' experience with personal branding is extremely helpful to budding direct primary care physicians. In this book, he walks you through the important steps, from creating a logo to engaging with local media and then using social media to market your practice. You really can't find this hands-on, real-life advice anywhere else. I wish his book had been in print when I opened my direct care practice in 2018!"
- Aleea Gupta, MD, Family First Direct Primary Care
"Dr. Thomas has been a huge inspiration to me as a new DPC doctor!His first book was an excellent introduction to the model, but this book really dives deep into the nuts and bolts of how to start and market your practice.As doctors we are not educated on how to run a business, but this guide answered all my questions and makes this scary process feel manageable!"
- Rebecca Berens, MD, Vida Family Medicine PLLC
"Dr. Paul is an influential thought leader of the direct primary care movement. His efforts to advocate for the doctor-patient relationship and assist his colleagues in navigating to the direct primary care model are exemplary."
- Dan Schaefer, M.D. Family physician, Owner and founder of Whole Health Family Medicine Clinic.
Startup DPC Book Description
We all know that our current healthcare system is broken, especially for primary care doctors and their patients. Primary care physicians have to see more and more patients in less and less time in order to keep up with declining reimbursement from insurance companies. This leads to rushed office visits, missed opportunities for genuine connections between doctors and their patients, frustrated patients, and burned out doctors. But it doesn't have to be this way.
Direct primary care offers a real opportunity at a fulfilling practice of medicine. It’s a golden opportunity to restructure your time, build the practice of your dreams, and spend your best hours taking care of patients and prioritizing your family life, rather than wasting time as a data entry clerk for an insurance company. In short, direct primary care gives you the opportunity to become the doctor that you're meant to be.
But how do you get this done? How do you go from a less-than-fulfilled doctor in the dysfunctional fee-for-service system to an empowered, entrepreneurial direct primary care physician capable of starting their own successful DPC practice?
The answers you're seeking are in this book!
My name is Dr. Paul Thomas, and I'm a Board Certified Family Medicine Doctor - I launched my own direct primary care practice straight out of residency in Southwest Detroit with over $100,000 in student loan debt. In my first month of practice, I had 7 patients. A few years later, we have over 700 patients, and I've hired a medical assistant and a second family doctor to help me manage the growing demand for our services.
I was named the entrepreneur of the year in 2018 by the Detroit Vanguard Awards, I gave a TEDxDetroit talk on direct primary care, and I've been featured in the Detroit Free Press, Reason Magazine, CBS Radio, Detroit's ABC affiliate WXYZ, Detroit's NBC affiliate WDIV, and Crain's Detroit Business. I've also been a speaker multiple times at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) DPC Summit, the Direct Primary Care Nuts and Bolts Conference, and the Hint Health DPC Summit.
In this book, I'm going to teach you everything I know about direct primary care and about starting a successful direct primary care practice. Here's a smattering of the topics that we'll cover:
- How to have the right mindset to be successful in your direct primary care journey
- How to become the doctor you're meant to be
- What a typical day looks like for a direct primary care doctor
- How to finance your direct primary care startup
- How to raise money for your DPC practice
- How to overcome a lack of business training in medical school and residency
- How to construct the perfect timeline for starting your DPC practice
- How to write a business plan for your direct primary care clinic
- How to start a direct primary care practice straight out of residency
- How to convert an existing fee-for-service clinic to a direct primary care practice while remaining profitable
- What's the difference between direct primary care and concierge medicine
- How to hire a second doctor for your DPC practice
- How to find a profitable location for your DPC practice
- How to negotiate a lease deal for your medical practice
- How to build out the medical office of your dreams
- How to attract patients to your direct primary care practice
- How to brand your practice so you stand out in your marketplace
- How to build your personal brand to grow your direct primary care practice
And so much more!
By picking up this book, you may be taking your first step in starting your direct primary care practice, or you may be taking the next big leap in growing your direct primary care practice. I know that whoever you are, and whichever stage you're at in your DPC journey, this book will inspire you and demonstrate in concrete methods how you can be even more successful.
Here's to your success in the growing DPC movement!
- Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC