Frequently Asked Questions
Direct Primary Care is about an ongoing doctor-patient relationship, so you will need to be a member to receive services. We’re able to provide most of your primary care for a reasonable monthly price. Basically, we’ve cut out the middleman, along with the hassles and high prices. The Direct Primary Care (DPC) model of health care is rapidly growing. Through it, you will be able to budget your monthly healthcare expenses without worrying about surprises.
You will need to sign up for a membership to see either Dr. Starkman or Therese Adams FNP for all medical services. We do not provide routine primary care visits or care outside of our standard membership offerings, except that we will offer one-time visits for family members visiting from out of town who need care. To offer these incredible values and service to patients, we must be a member-based model.
Good for you! But we believe that doctors and nurses should assist you in maintaining wellness, and not just treating illness. We can talk about lifestyle, nutrition, exercise, sleep, recovery, healthy aging, etc. And should you happen to get sick or injured, we’ll be here for you!
You can expect shorter wait times, longer appointments, price transparency and convenient direct access to your doctor or nurse practitioner, who knows you and your family. No more rushed visits or waiting weeks for an appointment. You can contact your provider via phone, or our secure member line whenever you need to.
Yes, we require a one-time $160 registration fee per household. During special promotions, this fee may be waived.
Please find a complete list of pricing on our homepage.
The fee covers your primary care in the form of annual wellness exams, well-child exams, sports, school and work physicals, preoperative physicals, basic office procedures, treatment of acute illness or minor injuries, ear wax flushing, strep testing as well as email and text access to your doctor or nurse practitioner. Members also have access to wholesale pricing for prescriptions and lab tests and receive a 15% discount on high-quality supplements through our dispensary.
There are no co-pays or fees for office visits. Some services are available that are not covered by the membership fee. Pricing for these services is provided upfront. If we recommend outside services such as imaging, we do our best to find you an option that is affordable for you if paying cash.
As a member you have access to our in-house pharmacy and wholesale pricing on prescriptions. When appropriate, we can also fax prescriptions to your preferred pharmacy. Your doctor or nurse practitioner will draw your blood for testing in our office. It will be sent to HealthLab (or to a specialty lab) for testing. We offer steep discounts on all lab testing.
DPC membership is on a month-to-month basis. We do require you to make ongoing membership payments to us in a timely manner, however, you are not obligated to stay with us for a certain number of months unless you’ve joined for weight-loss treatment. A minimum of the first month of membership and a registration fee is paid upfront and are non-refundable. Once your monthly membership is paid for any given month, it is also non-refundable. We will gladly cancel your membership when you give us 30-days written notice.
None, although patients with insurance are welcome to join. Most of our members have insurance that they use for care that takes place outside our clinic. To ensure that our providers have the time to devote to your care, we are not able to accept the restrictions and time demands imposed by private insurance companies. Currently, insurance companies do NOT recognize our membership fees as a reimbursable expense, but some health sharing organizations may reimburse a percentage of your membership fees. Some insurance companies may reimburse service fees for some treatments. We DO NOT bill insurance companies, but we can provide you with a receipt for services.
Many of our patients do so without repercussion, but this is a question for your tax professional. The law currently allows the use of HSA money to pay for medications, imaging tests, labs, etc. However, it is legally unclear if HSA funds can be used to pay for DPC membership fees. Legislation has been proposed to clear up the question regarding if HSA money can be spent on a DPC clinic’s retainer or membership fees.
No, we do NOT have any income guidelines to become a member. Our fees are the same regardless of income.
No, we do NOT have any health restrictions to become a member. Our fees are the same regardless of insurance arrangement, level of health or utilization of our services.
While we can offer same-day or next-day appointments to members with urgent needs, we do schedule all check-ups, maintenance appointments, and follow-up visits.
You can schedule a visit as often as you’d like with no copay. Your initial visit will be about 60 minutes in length. At first, you may need more visits to address multiple issues. You and your practitioner will work together to develop the best treatment plan for your health concerns. You may find you need fewer appointments per year since you have more time with your provider at each appointment and because many issues can be handled via tele-medicine.
Osteopathic Healing Arts provides only out-patient care, but we refer to all Chicago area hospitals. While you are in the hospital, you will be under the care of a Hospitalist. The Hospitalist’s fees and the facility’s fees (nursing care, food, medication, procedures, x-rays, etc.) will be charged by the hospital to you or your insurance company/Medicare, etc. You or a family member should keep us updated on your situation while you are in the hospital, then your doctor or nurse practitioner will see you quickly after discharge to stay on track with your care.
Different conditions may be diagnosed and treated via a simple conversation by phone or webcam. If appropriate, Osteopathic Healing Arts, LLC will help you locate the closest pharmacy and order the medication you need. If you need to go to the hospital or seek other medical attention while away from home, we can advise you on that as well.
Our office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:30-4:30 and Fridays, 9:30-3:30. Individual medical provider’s schedules may vary slightly. Under special circumstances, your provider may meet you at your home for an after-hours or home visit for a fee of $50. If our providers are on the road, this limits the time they can care for other people, so home visits are rare. Our office is closed on major holidays, but we are available through our private member line for urgent issues.
Upon enrollment, you will be given a private number for members only. You may call or text us on this line after hours.
No. Patient privacy is a natural benefit of this medical model. Osteopathic Healing Arts, LLC will never provide any third party with a copy of your records, unless you specifically ask us to do so.
If you decide to leave us for whatever reason, you may request to join again. If there is space for additional patients to be added at the time of the request to rejoin, at Dr. Starkman’s discretion your membership may be re-activated. In addition, there is a re-enrollment fee of $200 per person before membership is activated again.