Frequently Asked Questions:
What is Direct Primary Care? In the same way that you subscribe to a gym or a streaming service, you pay a monthly fee for your doctor. There is no insurance involved. Your monthly fee covers all visits, communications with me and most services the practice provides. Your children will have regularly scheduled well exams. Sick visits or other types of exams can be scheduled as needed. Since we will know each other well, these can often be done as tele-health visits.
Do you accept insurance? I do not accept any insurance for my care. This means that I do not work for an insurance company, I work for you. We get to decide on our priorities together, regardless of how the "billing" may work in a regular fee-for-service practice. This allows me to have 30-60 minute visits on a regular basis with patients. It also allows for a smaller patient panel so that I can be more available to you than in a traditional practice.
Do I still need insurance for my child? Yes, you still need some type of coverage for major events that happen such as specialist visits or a stay in the hospital . For most people with a DPC doctor, a high-deductible insurance plan or a health sharing agreement works well.
What if I have medicaid? At this time I am not able to accept patients that have medicaid. This may change in the future. However, if you do not have medicaid and are still unable to afford insurance, please reach out to discuss how my practice can help you.
What about labs and imaging? Some labs I am able to do, and these are typically included in the subscription as needed. Labs that need to be done by an outside lab or imaging studies can be billed to your insurance or we will work with the provider to get you the lowest cash price.
Can I pay for my subscription with an HSA/FSA? Absolutely. As of 1/1/26, DPC subscription fees are an eligible expense for these accounts.
Where is your office? 3042 Valley Ave, Suite 107 in Winchester, VA. I do provide in-home visits for newborns for the first month of life. While I await my WV license, families that live in WV will need to come to the office for newborn visits.
How does my child get vaccinations? If your child is due for vaccines, we will make a plan together ahead of time regarding which vaccines will be given at a visit. If you have an insurance plan that covers vaccines, I will work with a local pharmacy to pick up vaccines and bring them to your child's appointment where I will administer them. If your insurance does not cover vaccines, he or she can receive them for free at the local health department. We will still discuss recommendations and any concerns you have.
Are vaccines required to be a member of your practice? No, vaccines are not required to be a member of Barefoot Pediatrics. Vaccines are an important way to prevent infectious disease and I recommend you carefully consider them for your child. They are an important part of any primary care conversation for children, but because everyone is at a different place in their health journey, they are not required to be a member of Barefoot Peds.
Are there other providers or staff in your office? Nope. I am the whole staff! This means that when you call or text you get me directly. It means that you get the same doctor every time. Your child has a doctor who knows who they are and what they like.
What are your hours? Regular patient care hours are 8:30am-5pm. Texts and calls will be returned within two hours during this time. In addition to this, because of the flexible nature of this type of practice, I can schedule visits at times outside regular office hours on a limited basis.
What if my child has an issue after hours? If you have an emergency after hours I will typically be available to answer a call or get back to you within a couple hours, although there may be a rare time my cell phone is out of a service area. You can call me and I will help you decide on the best course of action, which might be planning for a visit the next day. Although my goal is to try to keep your child out of the ER and Urgent Care, there may be times when this is the best option, depending on your situation. I do ask that you respect my time and limit after hours calls to times when it is truly necessary. My phone will be off on Sunday mornings to attend church. Texts after hours will be responded to the next business day or prior to that if I have time. So feel free to text questions whenever you think of them and I’ll get back to you soonish.
What if you are out of town? Most times when I am out of town I continue to take my own texts and calls. Lots of things can be handled in this way. I will also give plenty of notice if I will be out of town for more than 1-2 days so that we can make sure all your prescriptions are refilled, etc. If your child needs to be seen urgently when I am gone, they may need to go to Urgent Care.
What if I can't afford this but I love it? My goal is to provide 1/3 of my memberships at very low cost to those who do not have the means to afford it but desire personal pediatric care for their children. If you believe your family fits in this category or just cannot quite make it work at my regular rates, please contact me and we will discuss it.
What if I love what you are doing and want to help other families be a part of it? Thanks! I am trying to keep prices low for everyone. If you have the means to do so, please consider adding an additional $50/month to your subscription fee to help subsidize a low-income family.
What if I need to move or leave the practice? Please allow 30 days notice for leaving the practice. This will allow your child to have care while you transition to another physician.