Healthcare Corner: Is Direct Patient Care the Future of Medicine?

by Jacob Rueda

Health insurance is a topic on a lot of people’s minds these days. The controversy around affordability and access has pulled attention toward premiums, deductibles, and coverage limits, while the basic work of direct patient care receives far less focus.

For anyone unfamiliar, direct patient care is just that: the patient being directly cared for by the physician or specialist. It involves the hands-on tasks that form the core of healthcare. It is care delivered at the bedside. Contrary to what may be perceived, it is more than just what a person gets from their insurance provider.

Direct patient care includes practical tasks such as mobility assistance, hygiene, vital signs, nutrition support, and comfort measures. These are the actions that form the core of healthcare.

In contrast, the insurance model governs the financial and administrative aspects of care, including premiums, deductibles, and claims. It also affects visit lengths and clinician-patient interaction. While insurance influences access to services, it does not define the hands-on work itself.

High volume insurance driven systems often force physicians into rushed visits, heavy documentation, and constant negotiation with insurers. These pressures pull physicians away from the very reason they entered medicine. The effect of this is diminished care for patients.

When physicians feel trapped prioritizing billing requirements over patient relationships, the result is burnout, and a sense of losing what is human about the profession.

Some physicians responded to these pressures by seeking models that prioritize time, access, and relationships with patients. The point is for them to practice medicine as they were trained, creating space to think, listen, and build trust, instead of focusing on the administrative hurdles to overcome in order to deliver the care they were meant to provide.

Direct patient care shows how healthcare providers respond to human needs. While not perfect, it offers an alternative for doctors who want to reconnect with why they chose the profession. Patients benefit from this approach and enjoy better health outcomes as a result.

Watch the latest episode of Healthcare Corner with Dr. Joseph Arrington to learn more about Direct Patient Care (DPC):