Portland Direct Primary Care
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Beyond 7 minutes

I trained as a Family Doctor so that I would be ready to help patients with any challenge. The old school family doc used to take that skill set out into the community on house calls, sports sidelines, and town hall meetings. At some point the job description was boiled down into a job that started and ended with a 7 minute office visit. That setup is not good for patients, and it's not good for doctors. In this column I hope to start to push the boundary of where the doctor patient interaction takes place - onto the page, into the community, and beyond 7 minutes.

12 months later

It's hard to believe that 12 months ago Portland Direct Primary Care was just an empty office with no equipment, no medications and no patients - just a doctor with a dream. In the last year with the help of many people we have built it into a real clinic, which I am very proud of. In that time over 120 patients have chosen to leave the insurance based system and put their trust in a new system called direct primary care.

I have personally answered countless emails, calls, and text messages all in the pursuit of improving the way doctors and patient communicate. We have saved people thousands of dollars on their prescription medications. Amazingly, we are contracted with 4 local businesses to care for their employees, easing the burden of incredible insurance overhead for small businesses.

This past Thursday we marked the occasion at Foulmouthed Brewery with a party for patients, friends, and neighbors. There was a lot to celebrate, but we also acknowledged that the work needs to continue to improve primary care both locally and across the country.

I leave this first year with gratitude for the incredible experience and learning opportunity as well as hope and excitement for the growth to come.

Dr. Oren

Founder, Owner, and Family Doctor at Portland Direct Primary Care

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Oren Gersten, MD