Frequently Asked Questions

DPC simplifies the working relationship between a physician and a patient, without insurance companies and administrators adding confusion and unnecessary cost. The DPC model utilizes a membership that cover the majority of services (as detailed below), unlike the Fee-for-Service model which requires a co-pay with every visit. Please note that this is not to disparage our fellow medical practitioners working hard every single day, it is merely to acknowledge that the system has become broken, to the detriment of us all.

Having your own private primary care physician that knows you personally, and just a phone call/text away! 

Dr. Stewart intentionally keeps a small patient panel (maximum of 600, versus the average 2500 for an insurance-based practice) to ensure quality of care over quantity. Having a smaller clinic allows us to spend the time to really listen, understand, research, and make shared decision making over the long run. We assure you, physicians find the "10 minute appointment while frantically typing away" just as unsatisfying as their patients.

This way GLDPC can offer same/next day appointments in-person, by telehealth, or even home visits as needed -- saving both you and Dr. Stewart time and suffering!

Depending on the membership services needed, name your price -- as we're rolling out the GLDPC Community, this is where we need your help: what services are you interested in? what do you wish your current PCP could do now but can't because of a broken insurance system? Do you have children, parents to cover? Are you a small business owner looking for coverage options?

Dr. Stewart is developing a transparent price list of services that account for the discount that can be had in a direct-pay clinic, while generating enough revenue to re-invest into the Great Lakes DPC Community for generations to come. Please take the time to "pre-order" your membership and specific services here, so we can tailor GLDPC around the Community's needs.

Dr. Stewart is offering members-only "value added" benefits that build on the strengths of our Great Lakes DPC Community: personally led lectures on requested health & wellness topics, lifestyle medicine group events including nutrition & exercise across the North Country, and a wide variety of edifying and educational outreach programs. If you have an idea, we would love to hear it!

Ultimately, this is a question of Values - what is most valuable to you? Great Lakes DPC provides a wide variety of high quality services in a flexible and affordable way, with the realization that it acts as a supplement to existing insurance plans that cover catastrophic events. You can also consider Health Sharing Plans as a way to reduce cost - an interesting article from HSA For America Direct Primary Care Combined with a Healthshare Plan - HSA for America

Dr. Stewart strongly recommends that his patients carry catastrophic coverage insurance for those health conditionsthat cannot be safely addressed through primary care - accidents and severe illness still happen despite our best efforts through preventative care, so ER and ICU coverage is wise, and well worth the expense. As the DPC Community grows, Dr. Stewart will be able to help you review the various insurance options, so you can find what works best for you and your family. VeryWellHealth has an excellent overview of an otherwise confusing system:  verywellhealth.com/major-medical-1738592 

Absolutely! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care, to quote Benjamin Franklin. The Great Lakes Clinic is uniquely positioned to help you become your healthiest, happiest self through coaching & counseling on nutrition, exercise, and emotional wellbeing. Dr. Stewart is living the "longevity lifestyle" as endorsed by great medical thinkers like Dr. Peter Attia or Professor Huberman, and would be honored to work with you along the way. A goal of GLDPC is to establish a high quality gymnasium at the clinic, based around functional fitness and attaining our highest human potential -- please give us an excuse!

Great Lakes Direct Primary Care is currently in Phase I of its roll-out, meaning we are "virtual only" at this time, gathering contacts and resources to deliver superior medical care in the way it should be. Once Dr. Stewart returns from deployment, Phase II will begin with tele-health and home visits with his first 200 patients; Phase III will begin with a small, efficient clinic office space, centrally located for the convenience of the GLDPC Community.