The most valuable thing I can give my patients is my TIME. While I used to be encumbered by 20-30 minute slots (which weren’t really 20-30 minutes quality time with the patient but more like 10-15 spent staring at a computer screen), direct primary care has allowed me to spend… as much time as the patient needs so that we both feel good about the plan. It’s usually about 30 minutes of uninterrupted focus on the patient’s needs but sometimes it’s 60 or even 90 minutes. And it’s great!
This type of quality is impossible in our current system, which is built on patient turnover, volume, and treating people like a number, all in the name of the dollar bill. The only way forward is to give the reins back to the patients and the doctors.