Frequently Asked Questions

There is no sign-up fee. Just sign-up for the membership, enroll in the easy monthly,  or annual payment system and start accessing great care. It’s that simple.

Yes! As a Family Physician, Dr. Christopher Highley is well equipped to provide primary care to patients of all ages.

We expect to have an open, honest, respectful relationship with you. If you have voiced a complaint that we cannot satisfy together, either party can terminate the membership with 30 days of notice. We do charge a $200 reinstatement fee should you cancel and then decide to re-join at a later date.

Under the Direct Primary Care (DPC) model, the patient (you) receives comprehensive primary health care directly from their DPC physician. The patient pays for this care through a monthly,  or annual fee, paid directly to Preferred Family Medicine.

Because DPC practices do not accept insurance payments, the providers are able to avoid the ever-increasing and costly documentation demands and administrative intrusions that come with accepting insurance payments.  DPC practices also avoid the onerous patient data collection responsibilities which many plans impose. These require staff, time, and money, often amounting to substantial intrusions on patient privacy.

Because DPC physicians avoid these obligations to insurance companies, they are free to spend that time listening to and treating patients. And because DPC physicians eliminate the significant overhead costs of participating in insurance, they can pass the savings on to you, the patient – and give compassionate, attentive and timely care at an affordable cost. At Preferred Family Medicine, you are not a “covered life” but a person.

Please find a complete list of our prices here.

We treat acute and chronic health problems.

No. Patient privacy is a natural benefit of this medical model. We will never provide any third party with a copy of your records, unless you specifically ask us to do so or if Preferred Family Medicine is subject to subpoena or search warrant.

In the age of telemedicine, many conditions can be diagnosed and treated via a simple conversation by phone or webcam. If appropriate, we will locate the nearest pharmacy and order medication most suited for your circumstance. Many Healthcare systems charge more for telemedicine with a doctor who doesn’t know you – at Preferred Family Medicine, you get telemedicine with your doctor at no additional cost.

Absolutely! It’s how we do custom healthcare. After normal office hours our members can call their physician’s cell phone number which is provided to practice members.

Charges can be added and applied to your preferred method of payment at the time those services are rendered.

We unequivocally recommend that you carry insurance or health sharing coverage to comply with Federal Law. Preferred Family Medicine does not replace insurance, and ideally we encourage our patients to carry a health sharing plan or a high deductible/major medical plan with a health savings account. This ensures financial help should hospitalization or referral to a specialist be necessary, but offers the potential for huge overall savings when combined with our discounted prices. You should consult with your insurance provider to help you find a plan that works best with our medical model and that will meet your specific needs.

Still need help? We may be able to direct you to an insurance agent who is well versed in the Direct Primary Care model and can assist you in finding a compatible insurance product.

Absolutely. However, just like with traditional insurance companies, we work for you. Thus, your monthly membership fee cannot be submitted to Medicare for reimbursement. You may need to sign a waiver that declares that neither you nor Preferred Family Medicine will directly bill Medicare for your membership fee with our practice. You can still use Medicare for specialists, labs, medications and services outside of our practice.

Medicare and Medicare supplemental insurance will still cover medical costs that you incur outside of Preferred Family Medicine. For example, prescriptions that you fill at an outside pharmacy, labs run at an outside lab, hospital charges, physical therapy, x-rays and scans, just to name a few, should be covered at their usual rate. You do not lose your Medicare coverage for other medical needs just because you are a patient of Preferred Family Medicine.

Many times patients purchase expensive “Cadillac” plans that require little or no co-pay and that cover all lab costs and prescription costs. However, with Preferred Family Medicine your membership covers all office visits at our practice, in-office tests and many procedures without copays or hidden charges. Combined with our discounted labs, imaging, and generic medications, our patients may find it worthwhile to change from a high priced “Cadillac” health insurance plan to a low cost basic health insurance plan to potentially save thousands.

Direct Primary Care fees may be reimbursable. This is one smart method of paying for your health care needs with pre-tax dollars.

Direct Primary Care may qualify as reimbursable through your Health Savings Account (HSA) and may also qualify under the Affordable Care Act.  Section 10104 of P.L. 111-148 (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) states: “The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall permit a qualified health plan to provide coverage through a qualified direct primary care medical home plan that meets criteria established by the Secretary, so long as the qualified health plan meets all requirements that are otherwise applicable and the services covered by the medical home plan are coordinated with the entity offering the qualified health plan.”

HSA and FSAs may not be used for annual memberships as the IRS prohibits “prepayment” of medical services. Ask your insurance or tax preparation specialist for more details.