FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

DPC is primary healthcare without the interference of insurance companies or other third parties. No insurance is billed for services provided. Typically, services are paid for by a monthly fee paid directly to the office. This allows us to keep our prices transparent and affordable. With DPC, patients get to spend more time with their physician. Appointments generally last from 30-60 minutes, during which time your doctor will get to know you personally and truly become a partner in your health. In addition, your DPC physician is easier to access outside of traditional office hours. You can use e-mail, text, or phone to connect with your doctor 24/7. Often, care for minor issues can be handled via these means, without the need to come to the office. In short, DPC is affordable, quality, accessible healthcare on your time!

Ask yourself the following: • Do you want more time with your doctor? • Are you tired of waiting days or weeks for an appointment when you call your doctor? • Do you want more proactive rather than reactive healthcare? • Do you wish your doctor was more of a partner in your health journey? • Do you want more access to your doctor when you need it? If you answered "yes" to any or all of these, then DPC is right for you! Furthermore, our costs are transparent. You will always know what your services cost upfront. There are no surprise bills weeks or months after the fact.

DPC practices do not have contracts with any insurance companies, and only accept payment at the time of service directly from the patient or in the form of monthly membership fees. In contrast, most concierge practices are contracted with insurance companies. Concierge practices will provide routine care to patients which is billed to the insurance company, but then also offer additional "premium" services for an extra fee (not payable by insurance) that may be of value to certain patients. For example, a concierge practice's fee may cover priority scheduling for appointments to decrease wait time, extended length wellness exams, or 24/7 access to the physician.

To become a patient, enroll in our monthly membership program. The cost is $80 per month per patient, payable by recurrent monthly charge on a major credit card or debit card (we accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover). This fee covers the costs of any and all office visits that you have with us for the time you are enrolled. Also included are all the tests and procedures we perform in office (listed on our "Services"(https://www.mahoningvalleydpc.com/services) page).

Yes. The membership fee covers the cost of all care provided in the office. We do not bill your insurance company for any care we provide in the office, and we do not perform any balance billing. If you require items such as medications, x-rays, blood tests, etc. that we do not offer in office, your insurance company will usually cover the cost of those items ordered by Dr. Bailey as long as you obtain them from a facility that is in network with your insurance. Note that federal health programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, the VA, Tricare, etc. will NOT cover any items or treatments ordered by Dr. Bailey. If you are covered by a federal health program and wish to become a patient, please contact the office for further information.

Yes! In fact, if you do not have health insurance, you are likely to benefit the most from the cost savings that we provide compared to a traditional medical office that contracts with insurance companies. Offices that contract with insurance companies can be prohibited from charging lower fees to patients without insurance than those who have insurance. We offer the same low rates to everyone.

You will always be evaluated and treated each and every visit by our board-certified physician, Dr. Thomas Bailey, MD.

No. Our membership program is not insurance and does not meet federal or state requirements for qualified insurance under the Affordable Care Act. We strongly recommend all patients to have insurance to cover the costs of referral to and treatment by specialists, treatment in a facility (hospital, ER, etc.), and lab and imaging studies that we deem necessary for your care. However, having insurance is not necessary to become a patient at Mahoning Valley Direct Primary Care.

We offer comprehensive evaluation of all non-emergent medical conditions. We estimate that 80-90% of the care you need can be provided to you by our office. There are times when additional testing outside of the office or specialist referrals are necessary for your health. If that happens, we will work to set up the necessary test or refer you to the appropriate specialist. When doing so, we will look for the most cost-effective provider to perform those services for you. Our complete list of services include: • Routine preventative care visits/physicals (excluding GYN/pelvic exams) • School/work physicals (excluding Dept of Transportation physicals) • Management of chronic medical problems (examples include but are not limited to high blood pressure, diabetes, congestive heart failure, coronary artery/heart disease, thyroid disorders, COPD/asthma, high cholesterol, digestive disorders, anxiety and depression) • Non emergent sick visits (examples include but are not limited to upper respiratory illness, urinary tract infections, musculoskeletal injuries) • Ear wash for removal of ear wax • Removal of stitches/staples • Trigger point injections • Injections of the shoulder/knee for relief of pain from arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions • B12 injection for documented B12 deficiency • Nebulizer treatment for asthma/COPD flare • Injection of promethazine for nausea treatment • In office lab studies • Random glucose/blood sugar • Urine dipstick for evaluation of urinary tract infections • Urine pregnancy testing • Rapid strep test • Rapid flu test • Rapid COVID test • Fecal occult blood test to detect blood in the stool • 12 lead EKG

We are unable to provide any emergency care. If you are having a medical emergency, you should call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. We currently do not perform suturing of lacerations in the office. If you have a serious cut or laceration, you should go to the ER. We currently do not offer any blood draws or imaging studies in our office, but will refer you to local centers that perform these services if your care requires it. We do not dispense any prescription medications on site. We do not perform routine gynecological exams (PAP smears, pelvic exams, etc.) or obstetric care. We do not provide long term prescriptions for opiates for chronic pain management or benzodiazepines for chronic anxiety. However, we are able to evaluate these conditions and refer you to the appropriate specialist to assist in your care if it is necessary to be maintained on these medications.

Per the "No Surprises Act" that took effect January 1, 2022, if you aren’t using health insurance to pay for your care, your health care provider must give you a good faith estimate of expected charges if you request one or schedule services at least 3 business days in advance. You may download the "Good Faith Estimate" policy here.

Our HIPAA policy can be downloaded here:

We are happy to help answer any additional questions you may have. Feel free to call us directly at 330-953-3250 (tel:3309533250)or email the office at tbaileymd@mahoningvalleydpc.com.(mailto:tbaileymd@mahoningvalleydpc.com) We look forward to being a partner in your health journey!