Understanding Direct Primary Care Options in Northwest Ohio and Sylvania
Patients across Sylvania, Toledo, and Northwest Ohio are beginning to see more choices in how they receive primary care. In addition to traditional insurance-based medical practices, models such as Direct Primary Care (DPC), concierge medicine, self-pay care, and hybrid practices are becoming increasingly available.
While these models may sound similar, they are not the same. Understanding the differences can help you decide which type of primary care relationship best fits your needs.
What Is Direct Primary Care?
Direct Primary Care is a membership-based approach to primary care.
Instead of paying for every individual office visit, a patient typically pays a predictable monthly membership fee directly to the medical practice. In return, the membership covers a defined group of primary-care services.
Depending on the practice, this may include:
Routine primary-care visits
Preventive care
Chronic disease management
Follow-up appointments
Same-day or next-day scheduling when available
Secure messaging
Virtual visits when appropriate
Coordination of referrals, laboratory testing, and imaging
The exact services and pricing vary from one DPC practice to another, so patients should review the membership agreement carefully before enrolling.
In Ohio Direct Primary Care agreements are specifically recognized under state law. A qualifying DPC agreement is not considered health insurance and should clearly describe the services included, membership fee, additional charges that may apply, and cancellation terms.
Is Direct Primary Care Health Insurance?
No.
This is one of the most important things to understand about DPC.
A Direct Primary Care membership generally covers services provided by the DPC practice itself. It does not replace insurance for larger medical expenses such as:
Emergency-room care
Hospitalization
Surgery
Specialist care
Advanced imaging
Prescription medications
Services from outside medical facilities
For this reason, many patients choose to keep health insurance while using DPC for their everyday primary care.
DPC is best thought of as a different way of accessing your primary-care physician rather than as a replacement for comprehensive health coverage.
Direct Primary Care vs. Traditional Insurance-Based Primary Care
Traditional primary care usually operates through health insurance.
The physician bills the insurance company for each visit, and the patient may be responsible for a copay, coinsurance, or deductible depending on the health plan.
This model works well for many patients.
Direct Primary Care takes a different approach.
Instead of billing for each individual primary-care encounter, the patient pays a predictable membership fee for a defined set of services.
This structure may allow DPC practices to emphasize:
Longer appointments
Easier physician access
More frequent follow-up
Secure communication
Preventive care
Continuity with the same physician
Neither model is automatically better for every patient. The right choice depends on the type of relationship and access you want from your primary-care practice.
What About Concierge Medicine?
Direct Primary Care and concierge medicine are sometimes confused.
Both may offer greater physician access and longer appointments, but the payment structure can be different.
A concierge practice may charge a membership fee while continuing to bill health insurance for office visits and other covered services.
A Direct Primary Care practice generally uses the membership fee itself to cover the primary-care services included in the membership agreement.
Before joining either type of practice, patients should ask:
What exactly does the membership fee cover?
Does the physician continue to bill insurance?
Are there additional charges for visits?
Are labs included?
How are urgent concerns handled?
Can I communicate directly with the physician?
Can I cancel the membership?
What Is a Hybrid Primary Care Practice?
A hybrid practice offers patients more than one way to receive care.
For example, a practice may allow patients to:
Use traditional health insurance
Pay directly for a one-time visit
Join a Direct Primary Care membership
This can be helpful for patients who are interested in DPC but are not yet ready to commit to membership.
It also allows patients to experience the practice and physician before deciding whether the membership model makes sense for them.
Direct Primary Care in Sylvania and Northwest Ohio
Patients in Sylvania, Toledo, and surrounding Northwest Ohio communities increasingly have alternatives to traditional large health-system primary care.
Independent practices, Direct Primary Care offices, concierge practices, and hybrid practices are giving patients more choices in how they establish a relationship with a primary-care physician.
The question is no longer simply:
“Which doctor accepts my insurance?”
Patients can also ask:
“What kind of relationship do I want with my doctor?”
For some patients, traditional insurance-based care remains the best option.
Others may place more value on physician access, longer visits, continuity, and predictable primary-care costs.
Who Might Benefit From Direct Primary Care?
DPC may be particularly attractive to patients who value:
More time during appointments
Easier access to their physician
Continuity with the same doctor
Preventive care
Regular follow-up
Chronic disease management
Transparent monthly pricing
Fewer insurance-related steps for routine primary care
Patients managing conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, or multiple ongoing medical concerns may especially appreciate easier follow-up and communication.
DPC may also appeal to busy professionals or anyone who wants a closer relationship with their primary-care physician.
Who Might Prefer Traditional Primary Care?
Direct Primary Care is not necessarily the right fit for everyone.
Someone who rarely needs primary care, is satisfied with their current physician, has strong insurance benefits, or does not need enhanced physician access may prefer a traditional insurance-based practice.
The question is not whether DPC is universally better.
The more useful question is:
Does the additional access, time, continuity, and convenience provide enough value for you?
Questions to Ask Before Joining a DPC Practice
Before enrolling in any Direct Primary Care practice, consider asking:
How much is the monthly membership?
Is there an enrollment fee?
Are routine office visits included?
Are preventive visits included?
Are basic laboratory tests included?
Are virtual visits available when appropriate?
Can I message my physician?
How quickly can I usually get an appointment?
Does the practice limit the size of its patient panel?
What happens if I need specialty or hospital care?
How can I cancel my membership?
Does the practice also bill my insurance?
A DPC practice should clearly explain what is and is not included before you enroll.
Direct Primary Care at Carebridge Medical in Sylvania
Carebridge Medical is an independent, physician-owned primary-care practice in Sylvania, Ohio, led by Mohsen Halaby, MD, a board-certified Internal Medicine physician.
Patients currently have several options for receiving care, including traditional insurance-based primary care, self-pay visits, and Direct Primary Care.
Carebridge Medical's Direct Primary Care membership is currently $139 per month.
The membership is designed around:
Longer primary-care visits
Direct physician access
Same-day or next-day availability when possible
Preventive care
Chronic disease management
Secure messaging
Virtual visits when medically appropriate
Continuity with the same physician
Learn More About Direct Primary Care
Learn more about the Carebridge Medical DPC membership:
Direct Primary Care Sylvania Ohio
Prefer to Schedule a Visit First?
Carebridge Medical also offers insurance-based and self-pay primary-care options.
Book a visit:
Choosing the Right Primary Care Model
Patients in Sylvania and Northwest Ohio now have more choices in primary care than ever before.
You may choose a large health-system practice, an independent physician, a traditional insurance model, Direct Primary Care, concierge medicine, or a hybrid practice offering several options.
The best choice depends on what matters most to you.
For some patients, that may be using their insurance for occasional primary-care visits.
For others, it may be having more time with their physician, easier communication, predictable monthly pricing, and a stronger long-term doctor-patient relationship.
Understanding the options allows you to choose the type of primary care that best fits your health needs, preferences, and priorities.
Mohsen Halaby, MD
Board-Certified Internal Medicine Physician
Founder & Medical Director, Carebridge Medical
4900 N McCord Rd, Suite A-1B
Sylvania, Ohio 43560
Phone: (567) 600-4598
Comments