What Is Direct Primary Care?
Primary care built around you, not insurance billing.
Direct primary care is a monthly membership with your doctor. Instead of billing insurance for everyday primary care, we charge a transparent monthly fee, so we have more time for you.
A different model
Healthcare works better
in a circle.
Direct Primary Care
Simple, direct, relationship-based care
One direct relationship. Nothing in between.
Traditional Insurance-Based Care
Care filtered through multiple layers
Barriers
Relationship diluted by layers.
Fewer administrative barriers allow more time for care, communication, and continuity. Insurance and specialists still have a role — they're just removed from the everyday primary care visit.
What it means
What Direct Primary Care means
In direct primary care, you pay your doctor directly through a monthly membership. In return, your doctor keeps a smaller panel of patients, so there is real time for you.
Your doctor works for you
Your care is guided by a physician who knows your story and your goals, with time to act on them.
Real transparency
We help you understand your insurance and benefits and use the resources you already have. We simply don't bill insurance for membership or primary care.
How it compares
Direct Primary Care compared with traditional primary care
INcircle Health · Direct Primary Care
Traditional primary care
30–60 minute visits, with time to actually talk
Often shorter visits
Visit, phone call, message, or video — whatever makes sense
Many concerns require a scheduled visit
Same- or next-day access for many needs
Appointments may be days or weeks out
One transparent monthly membership, no per-visit copays
Copays, deductibles, and insurance billing
Use insurance when it helps, or cash-pay options when simpler or less expensive; your doctor helps coordinate next steps
Often routed through insurance and health-system workflows
You build an ongoing relationship with the same physician
Continuity can vary depending on the practice
Use insurance where it helps. Skip unnecessary friction where it doesn’t.
INcircle Health can work alongside insurance for labs, imaging, medications, and specialist care, while everyday primary care stays direct and flexible.
This comparison describes common differences. Individual insurance-based practices vary, and many excellent primary care physicians work within the traditional system.
Insurance
Is Direct Primary Care health insurance?
Direct Primary Care is not health insurance. It is a membership for primary care with your physician.
Members typically keep health insurance for what primary care does not cover, including hospital care, specialist visits, imaging, certain laboratory testing, and prescriptions. We encourage you to maintain appropriate insurance coverage for major or unexpected medical expenses.
Many members pair their membership with a lower-cost catastrophic or high-deductible plan and use the membership for everyday and preventive care. We can talk through the options at your meet-and-greet.
How we apply it
How INcircle Health uses the DPC model
INcircle Health is a physician-owned Direct Primary Care practice in downtown Indianapolis, serving patients ages 3 and older. Dr. Venis keeps his patient panel intentionally small so he has time to know each person and their history.
907 N East Street, Indianapolis, IN. Care available in English and Spanish.
The Next Step
See whether Direct Primary Care is right for you.
Schedule a complimentary 15-minute Meet & Greet to learn how membership works, ask questions, and determine whether INcircle Health fits your needs.
No obligation to enroll · Bilingual care · Indianapolis, IN