Frequently Asked Questions

You won't have to pay a co-pay for office visits or routine physicals. Also you'll be able to avoid many visits altogether by sending your questions directly to us via email and text – something you won't get from a traditional practice. Less time away from work equals more money in your pocket!

We've negotiated amazing deals for prescription medications, blood tests, X-rays, and MRI/CT scans on your behalf. If we had contracts with insurance companies, we would be legally obligated to charge higher prices for these things.

Also, since you are getting all this amazing care from us, you can cut way back on your insurance premiums. Most DPC patients look for a high-deductible, low-premium insurance plan combined with a health savings account (HSA) so they're covered in the case of a major health issue, but are able to save on premiums. Those savings alone (in premiums) are often enough to pay for the cost of your DPC membership.

We think so! Everyone benefits from a service tailored directly to them. That’s why we offer truly custom healthcare. We’re here for you if you're sick or hurt, but we also help you proactively maintain good overall health. Every visit with us will be thorough, relaxed, and for as much time as you need to address your health concerns. The longer you're our patient, the more we learn about your health and lifestyle, and the better we can help you achieve and maintain good health.

The terms are often mistakenly used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Both DPC and concierge practices charge a periodic fee. However, under the concierge model, this fee (which is typically much higher than a DPC fee) only gets you access. That is, it doesn't actually cover any of your care. Instead a concierge practice still bills insurance for your visits. Under DPC, your visits and other care are included in your fee, plus you're provided with other incredible benefits like wholesale pricing for labs and radiology studies, deeply discounted prescription prices, direct digital communication with your doctor, and all the rest.

Functional medicine is an individualized, science-based approach which aims to find and address the root cause of a patient's condition, rather than simply treating symptoms. This generally involves taking a very detailed history in combination with physical examination and lab testing. Treatment heavily emphasizes diet and lifestyle changes. For more information: https://www.ifm.org/functional-medicine/

We only offer tetanus boosters. Other vaccines can be obtained from the health department or local pharmacies.

Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSK-US) is technology that uses sound waves to produce images of tissue. It is safe, non-invasive, with no harmful radiation. It can be used to help diagnose problems with or injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, bones and joints. It can also be used to more precisely guide injections into various structures. Dr. Hilts has been performing MSK-US for more than 12 years and has done thousands of diagnostic scans and guided injections. This service is provided at no additional cost for members of Hilts DPC.

Dr. Hilts does not provide obstetric/pregnancy care.

Having such unprecedented direct access to your doctor will prevent hospitalizations and specialty referrals in many cases. However when those types of care are required, we will certainly continue to work with your hospitalist during your hospital stay as well as work closely with any specialist. Depending on the level of care and the sorts of expertise required, we may rely on those specialized caregivers to manage your treatment.

Physician access is one of the greatest benefits of the direct primary care model. Because illness and injury do not respect regular office hours, you will be able to contact your doctor through phone, text or email.

Of course – this sort of care is "baked in" to the DPC model. Because you'll have your doctor's email and phone number, you can reach out to us whenever you need, wherever you are. We can also do a virtual visit. Many illnesses can be diagnosed and treated with a simple conversation. We’ll also locate the nearest pharmacy and order the medications most appropriate for your circumstances.

We expect to have an open, honest, respectful relationship with you. If you have voiced a complaint that we cannot satisfy together, we will gladly allow you to terminate your membership. If you later decide to re-join, there will be a $450 fee.

Thankfully, no! Perhaps the most critical distinction in our model of care centers on a direct, personal relationship between you and your doctor. That directness carries over to our business model as well. You might use your auto insurance to fix a smashed fender or other major damages. But you'd never use it to get an oil change (or pay for gas!). For some reason, health insurance is currently being used for the equivalent of oil changes for humans - routine physicals, office visits, simple blood tests, and minor procedures. This just doesn't make sense, and it has contributed greatly to extremely inflated health care costs.

We forgo insurance payments in order to save our patients from the arbitrary, intrusive decisions that come with using insurance. Charging a direct monthly fee frees us from the typical contractual agreements that prevent non-DPC physicians from offering wholesale prices on laboratory tests, imaging, and medications.

Yes, we take care of any patient regardless of your insurance situation. Since we work completely outside of the insurance system, none of the billing for care here is eligible for insurance reimbursement. However, we recommend that everyone have some form of insurance coverage, which is still important in the event of a major health issue, because we are NOT an insurance plan. Many DPC members search for high deductible health plans (HDHP), or health sharing ministries (such as Liberty, Medi-Share, Samaritan, Christian Healthcare, Zion, and Sedara).

Yes!!! You will need to sign a one-time waiver declaring that neither you nor your doctor will directly bill Medicare for our services. Even though Medicare will not pay us for any services you receive in our practice, your Medicare benefits will otherwise remain unchanged and can continue to be used for all other medical care received outside of our practice. Medicare will still cover any outside laboratory testing, imaging, medications, or hospitalizations prescribed by our offices.

You may want to check with your human resources department regarding the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) as possible payment options for your membership. If you are unable to use these funds to pay for the membership fee directly, there is a good chance that you can still use your HSA/FSA as reimbursement for certain services provided through our office.

Yes, although he will be "opted out" of Medicare, Dr. Hilts will still be able to order labs at outside lab facilities, or imaging studies at outside facilities, or prescriptions sent to pharmacies, and Medicare will recognize those orders as it would with a physician who is "opted-in" to Medicare.