Frequently Asked Questions

Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a direct payment arrangement with your primary care physician to provide care for acute and chronic medical conditions.  This model is very convenient, efficient and avoids many hassles that we all encounter in traditional practices.  Membership is a flat monthly fee, similar to gym memberships or Netflix.

Garb Family  Medicine takes people with all insurance plans or no insurance plan.  We do not bill insurance for our services.   If you have insurance it can be used for labs, medications, specialists or hospital services.   Our primary care services are covered by your monthly  or annual membership fee.

Absolutely.  For members we will always make room for a same day sick appointment if we are in the office that day.

Since we are able to offer same or next business day appointments in almost all cases, we will not be accepting walk-ins. 

Call 911 for emergencies.  Members are given several methods to contact our team for urgent or non-urgent concerns.  This includes text, email,  and member only phone line.

If something comes up and you are unable to make your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible.  If you must cancel within 24 hours or if you no-show for your appointment there is a $50 fee.  

Missed appointments inhibit our ability to provide other members efficient access for acute and chronic issues.

Yes.  You will need to sign a one-time waiver declaring that neither you nor your doctor will directly bill Medicare for our services.   Medicare will still cover most laboratory testing, imaging, medications and other orders from our office.  Medicare will continue to cover any hospitalizations or specialist visits if needed.

No problem.  At Garb Family Medicine we care for patients regardless of insurance status.  However, there are emergencies and services that are not covered at our practice.   Many find that a direct care membership pairs well with a high deductible plan or health share plan.  Typically, our membership fee is lower than your deductible for the year.

Many patients choose to do this, however, it is recommended to consult your tax advisor for guidance on this and your individual tax/benefits situation.

Yes!  We offer multiple family member discounts and discounts for prepaid annual membership.  Please see the  membership page for details.   We are also waiving our enrollment fee for a limited time.  We offer special employer  pricing.  Please contact us if you are interested in providing this health benefit for your employees.

We will be the first to let you know if your condition would be better served by a specialist.  We will help to coordinate these referrals within your insurance network if needed. We have longstanding relationships with many local specialists.

We will do our best to keep you out of the hospital.  However, if you need a higher level of care we can help to arrange this and follow up with you after the hospital to ensure we get you back to your usual level of functioning and health.

We recommend all age and condition appropriate vaccinations.  We require all pediatric patients to be vaccinated and do not provide vaccine waivers.  We are not currently offering immunizations in our office, but plan to do so soon.   In the meantime, we will help you get the vaccinations you need at another clinic, a pharmacy or the health department.

No problem.  Other than the initial three-month term for new patients, there are no contracts or obligations at Garb Family Medicine.  We want you to be happy, so you can cancel your membership at anytime with 30 days notice.  

We cannot, however, guarantee there will be a spot for you in the future as we have a waiting list.  Also, there will be a re-enrollment fee if you leave and then decide to return in the future.   

We're glad you asked.  We do not provide prenatal/obstetric care, but of course we will see our pregnant patients for other health care issues and concerns.  We do not do major surgeries.  We do not provide chronic opioid, suboxone or benzodiazepine management.   If we believe you would be better served by a specialist for your condition, we will help facilitate that connection for you. 

Contact us at hello@garbfamilymedicine.com and we would be happy to provide more information.