Frequently Asked Questions

Direct Primary Care DPC is an innovative primary care delivery model where the patient is charged a flat, low monthly fee for a wide array of convenient and quality medical services.

​According to American Academy of Family Medicine, AAFP, Direct primary care (DPC) is a subset model of the retainer-based practice framework for primary care practices.

Perhaps the defining characteristic of DPC practices is that they offer patients the full range of comprehensive primary services, including routine care, regular checkups, preventive care, and care coordination in exchange for a flat, recurring retainer fee that is typically billed to patients on a monthly basis.

We love our younger ones! Our family medicine doctors offer pediatrics care and see patients of all ages from newborns and up.

KarisMed DPC membership plans are designed with you and your family in mind. The fundamental difference is traditional medicine provides volume-based patient care, while KarisMed DPC provides value-based patient care.

 Outlined below are a few advantages of our clinic that distinguish us from others:

High-Quality Care for Less

KarisMed DPC model puts health care priorities back in order by putting patients first in patient care and doctors (not insurance or third party payers) back in the driver’s seat.

 Our efficient and high-quality primary care service delivery ensures lowered overall health care costs and reduced variability for individual, family and businesses. Our transparent pricing model designed primarily for our patient’s benefit, promotes value-based health care decision making.

Enhanced Patient Experience

The traditional health care system is failing to meet patient’s expectations in the areas of care access, convenience, cost and quality. However, our DPC model significantly reduces patient panel per physician compared to the traditional primary care practice by almost 75%, allowing us to provide patient care with better access, improve engagement, transparent pricing, enrich accountability, and reduced overall cost.

Primary care providers are your first line of defense in the health care system. Often times after a doctor visit, patients are left wondering did I get to spend enough time with the doctor to express my health concerns?

Time is essential in promoting a stronger and better patient-physician relationship, which various studies have shown it improved health outcomes. That is why rather than spending average 30 – 45 minutes in the waiting lobby, and 10 – 15 minutes with the doctor in the traditional medical practice, we provide 30 – 60 minutes or more per doctor consultation and 0 – 3 minutes average waiting time at our waiting lobby.

Better Health Outcomes

The health care landscape is constantly evolving, except the need for high-quality patient care. At karisMed, we put our patients first and ahead of the curve, by deploying our expertise and innovative techniques, in providing the highest-quality care for our valued patients. We also apply system-oriented approach to address the root causes of diseases rather than just treating their symptoms.

Take this patient for example:

A self-employed individual with a family of four makes 100k a year and the best insurance they could get was through the marketplace and would cost $1700 a month. The individual has rheumatoid arthritis or diabetes. For a flat monthly membership fee of $99 at KarisMed, the patient has unlimited, unrushed and unrestricted access to their physician. The physician helps to manage such pre-existing conditions and provides very low cost (up to 85% less than retail pricing) lab testing, imaging and medications that are not covered under their medical plans.

Whereas, the traditional doctor would charge $170 per visit, see the patient for 10 -12 minutes, and prescribed expensive labs and medications that the patient cannot afford.

At KarisMed the doctor gives you all the time you need, calls or texts, and makes sure the individual can afford everything.

KarisMed membership plan with a High Deductible Health Plans or Health Share Plans from one our partners to cover catastrophic medical needs could result in significant cost savings and better health outcomes for this individual.

We have an array of medical services to meet you, your family and employees primary care needs. Our health care services cover most or all routine primary care medical needs for patients of all ages – typically about 80% of your overall medical needs.

Whether it’s cold, flu, allergies, well woman, UTI, well child, sports physicals, or managing a chronic condition such as diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension or respiratory diseases, we’ve got highly trained, board-certified physicians and caregivers just for you.

We also use alternative medicine or holistic-based approach that focuses on finding and treating the root causes of diseases rather than its symptoms.

List of services we provide can be found in Our Services page….. Click Here

Membership Fee: In concierge medicine, there is an annual fee (which tends to be higher) that can be paid in full or split up, but the contract is for the entire year which covers a comprehensive physical with screenings. In DPC, members typically pay a low flat monthly fee that covers unlimited patient visits and free comprehensive health examination with lab work, with no long-term contracts or enrollment fees.

Insurance Billing: Most traditional concierge medicine physicians continue to accept insurance plans and government programs, and patient visits are billed in the traditional manner. DPC doctors do not bill or accept third party (insurance) reimbursements for the services we provide in our clinics. The membership fees paid by the patients cover clinic visits, procedures, sports physicals, annual health screening and some services such as labs, imaging, etc. are charged separately at up to 85% off retail pricing.

In-Network Referrals: A concierge medicine physician generally remains affiliated with insurance networks and, therefore, can refer to specialists who are also within the patient’s network. A DPC doctor is an out-of-network provider, so referrals to specialists or for special lab testing are given to whichever specialist who can provide the right care for the right time at the right cost.

Absolutely yes, we can care for some of the sickest or most medically challenged patients because of the skill sets of our Board-Certified family physicians, affordable pricing and unlimited care access we provide.

Our normal clinic hours are:

Mon to Fri: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: Closed

However, all members can access their physician directly 24/7 via cell phone, secured messaging and telemedicine after normal clinic hours.

Patients who are members of our clinic can contact their physician directly 24/7 through direct telephone, secured messaging or telemedicine. If it is a medical emergency, please call 911.

While we can always guarantee same or next-day appointments to our patients (including new patients), we do require scheduling all doctor visits in advance. Click here  to self-schedule your next doctor’s appointment online if you are a KarisMed member.

Depending on individual medical needs, patients can choose between a Standard, Deluxe, or Premium Plan with no enrollment fees. These membership plans provide you unlimited access to unrushed doctor office visits, no lobby waiting during visits, 24/7 access to your doctor, same-day appointments, annual comprehensive physicals with labs, and many more benefits with no copays or deductibles.

KarisMed DPC membership plans do not just improve access and quality of care, it also reduces the overall cost of care by eliminating the unnecessary bottlenecks in the health care delivery process.

Think of KarisMed like an on-demand TV subscription replacing traditional home movie rental services but for your medical needs!

There is a discount if the member pays annually instead of monthly. Click our sign up page to learn more… Click Here

With KarisMed membership plans, you and your family can get high-quality personalized health care for as low as $119 per month for an adult and $30 per month for a child (up to 21 years). We also provide discount for spouse/ partner.

KarisMed membership plan provides you access to the following benefits:

• Unlimited doctor office visits with no copay and zero deductible
• Same day in-person appointments
• Free annual comprehensive exams with lab testing
• Unhurried doctor visits
• No wait time during clinic visit
• 24/7 access to the doctor via office visit, phone, e-mail or telemedicine;
• Careful coordination with other specialists
• Up to 85% discount off retail pricing of labs testing and imaging
• Many more discounted procedures and services

All these benefits with no enrollment fees, cancel anytime, and more importantly, no surprise medical bills!

Our costs and services covered in our membership plans can be found Here 

Our sign-up process is quick, simple and transparent. It starts with a streamlined online sign up process; schedule a sick visit and/ or comprehensive health screening; and set care goals with your physician and receive high-quality and personalized ongoing care with unlimited and unhurried doctor visits.

Click here to sign up now or contact us today at (832) 930-7799 to join. You can also call our office to schedule a free health consultation to learn more about KarisMed DPC and its benefits.

Our highly skilled and Board-Certified physicians provide a wide-range of comprehensive medical care which includes primary care, acute care, chronic disease management, onsite and offsite lab testing, diagnostic procedures, functional/ alternative medicine, imaging, and many more. List of services included in our membership plans can be found in our individual/ family membership page Click Here

Serving you through our DPC membership model would allow us to provide the comprehensive care you truly deserve at affordable and predictable cost. However, we do have a few options for non-members such as comprehensive screening with labs and international visitors plans. For more information about these programs, please call us at (832) 930-7799.

Absolutely no! Most routine medical care provided by our Board-Certified physicians are covered under your membership plan without additional fees. We believe knowing the cost of medical care you receive is an important part of your health decision making process.

In addition, a free annual comprehensive physical exam with lab testing is included in all our membership plans. Our free comprehensive health screening helps establish a baseline of our patient’s care by evaluating their liver and kidney function, measuring sugar level, blood counts, cardiovascular risk assessment, thyroid function testing, bone health screening (vitamin D), pap smear for women, and PSA screening for men. This free health examination is repeated for each member every year to keep track of their health and how well they have improved.

We also offer point of care lab testing such as flu, strep and pregnancy testing to all our members at zero cost. Lab testing and procedures not covered under your selected membership plan are offered at up to 85% off retail pricing. Please visit or pricing page link to ‘For Individual’ page for details about the services covered under each of our membership plans.

KarisMed physicians can refer you to a specialist and coordinate your care for better health outcomes. Our care scope is generally broader than primary care. Our physicians help patients connect the dots in the complex health care system by providing comprehensive specialist care management and coordination. As our patients’ advocate, we ensure you get the best care whether within or outside our office.

Patients can either pay by cash or use their high deductible insurance for services provided outside our office by other specialists. For those patients who preferred cash payment for specialist care, most specialists within our network offer discounted prices exclusively for our patients.

We do understand there may be valid reasons e.g. moving to a different location, change of circumstances, etc. why a patient may want to cancel their membership with us. You always have the right to cancel your membership at any time by simply giving us thirty 30-days written notice. Please see our Patient Agreement for more details about our cancellation policy.

Fantastic! Our goal at KarisMed family medical clinic is to offer value-based patient care to make you live a healthier and happier life.

Our care approach at karisMed is preventive driven – finding health problems early before they get worse and providing the right treatments. As such, our goal is to take proactive measures to ensure you remain healthy.

Most of all your unexpected Urgent Care and ER visits can easily be taken care of same day at our clinic, saving you significant out-of-pocket health care costs.

Thankfully none! We accept both patients with or without health insurance, but we do not bill your insurance for services we provide in our clinic.

Today’s healthcare is driven more by increasing premium costs, high deductibles and copays. This means having a health insurance does not necessarily guarantee access to an affordable and high-quality healthcare.

KarisMed DPC doesn’t just improve access and quality of care, it also reduces the cost of care by eliminating the unnecessary bottlenecks in the system. We are using Direct Primary Model in restore the ailing traditional primary care delivery system by modeling it to mainly benefit the patients and no other stakeholders! We work “directly” for our patients and not Third-Party Payers!

Thankfully no! This is a direct relationship between patients and their physicians to cover their primary care needs – about 80% of your overall medical needs.

We highly recommend our patients carry a high-deductible insurance plan to cover major catastrophic events, such as hospital visits, ER visit, etc.  whenever they may occur, while we take care of your primary care needs – typically 80-85% of most of your medical care needs.

Most insurance coverage such as auto, home and life only cover catastrophic needs. For example, imagine using your auto or home insurance for general items such as oil change, car wash, lawn mowing and minor repairs. Your auto and home insurance premium costs and deductibles would have been highly priced above what you are currently paying. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the traditional fee-for-service health care system is doing.

KarisMed membership plan covers most of your routine primary care needs at an affordable and predictable flat monthly fee, while using your High Deductible Health Plan or Health Share Plan (if you have one) to cover other catastrophic medical needs such as hospital and specialist visits whenever they may occur.

Instead of patients using their insurance to pay for primary care services at high prices set by Third-Party Payers, they pay their doctors directly through the low monthly membership fee. This cuts out the middlemen and makes primary care less expensive for the average patient.

It also reduces costs down the line when patients get earlier access (they can text or call their KarisMed doctor at any time) thus often avoiding urgent care or ER visits. There are added savings for labs, and other screenings which are often 50-85% lower than the cost that would be billed to an insurance plan since KarisMed works directly with wholesale laboratories, imaging groups, and specialists to secure the best prices for our patients.

We provide our patients the high-quality health care they truly deserve without breaking the bank.

Thankfully no! We accept patients with or without health insurance. However, we do not bill your insurance for the services we provide. Most of the services we provide are covered under your membership plan, while those services not covered are often provided at up to 85% discount off retail prices.

With the traditional fee-for-service (FFS) health care model, where each and every part of your medical care are billed to a Third-Party Payer – insurance, payment is mostly dependent on quantity of care, rather than quality of care. Approximately 40 cents of each dollar spent by patients on health care is consumed by reimbursement!

Eliminating these barriers, and bridging the gap between patients and their providers, means lower overall cost, reduced variability, better access, and improved health outcomes for patients.

At KarisMed, the patient is the boss; we work directly for our patients. This helps us provide the essential relation-centered, premium-level primary care without the increasing constraints to our valued patients.

We highly recommend our patients carry a high-deductible insurance plan to cover major catastrophic events, such as hospital visits, ER visit, etc.  whenever they may occur, while we take care of your primary care needs – typically 80-85% of your medical care.

Never! Our DPC membership plans are affordable, simple and transparent with no surprise medical bills after doctor visits. KarisMed DPC is health care without high blood pressure or headache!

Yes, you can use your health insurance for specialist visits depending on whether the specialist is in network with your insurance.

 Most specialists within our referral network offer discounted prices exclusively for our patients who do not have health insurance or preferred cash payment for specialist care.

Our seniors more than anyone else deserve better access to high-quality medical care. Yes, we do accept both Medicare and Medicaid patients, but our physicians do not bill Medicare or Medicaid for any services we provide.

Likewise, Medicare and Medicaid patients enrolled under KarisMed DPC membership cannot bill or attempt to obtain reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid services they receive at our clinic.

Medicare and Medicaid patients enrolled under our DPC membership plans can continue to use their Medicare and Medicaid coverage for all other care received outside our clinic including those ordered by our physicians.

Absolutely yes! We are working with several other local employers and businesses providing their employees with high-quality health care benefits at affordable costs than the traditional employer sponsored health insurance plan.

 At KarisMed, we recognize the value and importance Direct Primary Care to businesses and employers. The combination of our KarisMed Plus DPC Plan with a major health coverage or health share plan to cover catastrophic medical needs is a win-win for both employers and their employees. Employers can enter into an innovative partnership with KarisMed to offer more affordable coverage – decreased out of pocket expenses and improved care delivery.

Visit our Employer page for more information regarding our program.

Some of the biggest brands in the U.S. are teaming up to bring Direct Primary Care for their employees, you cannot afford to miss from such great opportunity as an employer or business owner.

Direct Primary Care (DPC) can be extremely beneficial for employers for so many reasons. Several small, mid-size and large employers have seen great benefits of incorporating DPC into their benefits package for their employees, such as:

• Reduced utilization of the insurance plan at urgent care and emergency rooms
• On the flip side, workers should not have to forgo medical care because they don’t want to pay their copays, or their deductible is sky high
• Providing quality health coverage is an important bargaining chip to give employers the competitive edge for attracting and retaining talented staff
• Less sick days – employees are able to work and be more productive when they are proactive about their health, and of course, not stuck in a hospital bed
• Not as many excuses for being “at a doctor’s appointment” if you can email/ text/ video your doctor right from your mobile devices
• Boosts job satisfaction – having such vital bonus health benefits signifies to the employees that their employer genuinely cares

You can also visit our employer page for more information regarding our plans.

Are you an employer looking for ways to offer better benefits package to your employees at reduced overall healthcare coverage cost? Call us today at (888) 250-4252 or e-mail employer@karismed.com

Employers who adopt KarisMed direct primary care model can save up to 30 – 60 percent off their traditional insurance bills, while improving overall employee health and reducing time lost due to sick days. Visit our employer page link to ‘For Employer’ page for more information regarding our program.

Are you an employer looking for ways to offer better benefits package to your employees at reduced overall healthcare coverage cost? Call us today at (888) 250-4252 or e-mail employer@karismed.com

Yes, we do provide discounts to employers and businesses depending on the number of employees you are enrolling.

 Call us today at (888) 250-4252 or e-mail employer@karismed.com for more details.

Our employees onboarding process is simplified and easy. To get you set up, speak with one of our specialists today at (888) 250-4252 or e-mail employer@karismed.com

Our DPC plan can fit into the employee benefits of any organization size – small, medium or large. Every employer has different needs; therefore, we offer leading-edge and custom-fit solutions to address these specific employee health benefits needs.

Whether it is an employer offering health benefits through self-funded or fully insured health plans, or small size employer (with less than 50 full time equivalent employees) not offering health benefits to employees, we work with them all. 

Call us today at (888) 250-4252 or e-mail employer@karismed.com to schedule free consultation.