Sometimes you need to make a living until your DPC practice catches on. Maybe you didn’t transition from an insurance based private practice? Maybe you are straight out of residency? Here are some thoughts for you:
- Curious to know how many of us have second or third positions besides just DPC. Most Docs wear a lot of hats with Directorships, moonlighting etc. Also, is this an indirect way of subsidizing the low cost of care that DPC provides?
- I’ve done a few expert witness cases (only defending docs) each year. They pay like $350-450/hr. You just have to remember to take taxes out
- I work in the ER, collaborate with a birthing center and help a residency some. Definitely takes pressure off as the practice is growing and helps avoid taking out loans.
- Just doing DPC – using my savings, kept overhead super low, and support from my partner
- I’m slinging some blue crystal meth after-hours still, but that’s just to keep up my street cred and support my gansta lifestyle.
- I’m only doing DPC
- I still do ER as I’m on a mission to eliminate school loan debt. Hope to evict sallie Mae by December!
- Only doing DPC, made possible by my husband who is taking one for the team and continuing to work as a family doc for academic center while I start to make money. Trying to keep my overhead as low as possible also
- Only DPC, my husband has been very patient and I will be paying my loans forever.
- Ditto to the hubby thing. Am thinking about 1-2 urgent care shifts per month tho.
- ER in low volume ER, about 24 hours per week. Would love to back down when feasible.
- Moonlighting and Medicare was the toughest part of starting a DPC. Most of my potential patients are Medicare age but you can’t charge them cash without opting out but opting out eliminates 99% of moonlighting jobs. In my case, I worked my ass off as a nocturnal hospitalist until I was down to one kid in college, then opted out.
- Agreed! I’ve got about 10 Medicare patients I see for free, because I can’t opt out until I have more patients (need that ER work.) Luckily, I recently found a freestanding ER that doesn’t take Medicare and there for does not require I be opted in. Hopefully can start working there soon.
- Nice! I’m now working a little bit at an buprenorphine clinic that doesn’t take Medicare but to help out with the local addiction crisis rather than any need to moonlight anymore.
- I paid off my loans before going to DPC. I am a hospice medical director and do hospitalist shifts as well basically as my income as I build my DPC practice.
- My DPC is designed to pay about as well as local hospitalist jobs when my panel is full. If it requires another job to subsidize it long term, I’ll raise my prices or move
- I’m working part-time at a local phase I clinical research place in town. Usually about 4 days/month.