What Makes the Direct Care Model so Great?
Dr. Young provides Lifestyle Medicine focused direct care based on a Direct Primary Care (DPC) model.
In a traditional fee for service (FFS) model, the physician-patient relationship is often devalued. Physicians working in the FFS system want to provide a high level of care but are often constrained by a huge administrative burden dealing with insurance companies and billing companies. They must have larger patient panels to cover the increased administrative costs and often spend their time coding, billing and trying to jump through administrative hoops rather than focusing that time on patient care.
DPC was created to leave the third party out of the patient-physician relationship. Physicians are able to have smaller patient panels so they are not rushed and can practice medicine in a more personalized manner allowing for more time to listen to and educate patients. This leads to a high quality of care.
Up front, direct care may seem more costly, but it often isn’t. While there is a monthly fee, patients in a direct care practice often save money in other areas – they can get in to see their doctor in a timely manner and can text or call with questions leading to less ER and urgent care visits. At Sozo we will be working with you and supporting you in making lifestyle changes that will minimize your need for medication, specialist visits and hospitalization.
A quick comparison:
| FFS | Direct Care | |
| Time with Physican | Under 10 minutes | 30-60 minutes |
| Number of patients per doctor | 2500 | 300-600 |
| Time to schedule a new patient visit | 4 weeks | 1-2 days |
| Wait time to see physician | 20 minutes | 0 |
| Urgent care visit cost | $150 | 0 |
| Co-Pay | $15-25 | 0 |
Dena DePiazza is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach and is certified as a Certified Pain Management Coach. She is your personal advocate for living an energized and passionate life. She works with clients to help them create healthy lives in a way that is flexible, fun, and free of denial and unsustainable discipline. By working together, you can discover lifestyle choices that best support you. Dena helps you learn to make gradual, lifelong changes that will enable you to reach your current and future health goals.
with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences. She is a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Nutrition Coach through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Nadia enjoys providing the guidance and support people need to achieve good health and considers herself their biggest cheerleader when they decide to make their health a priority. As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Nadia works with clients one on one to help them optimize their health through holistic health practices. She helps reduce the symptoms of chronic illness through nutrition and lifestyle practices, but is not limited to helping anyone who wants to learn how to make better choices. She teaches clients basic kitchen skills, how to read labels and will even do grocery tours. As a personal trainer, Nadia works with clients of all levels, ages and in various settings. She has taught group fitness classes and worked with clients one on one. She emphasizes the importance of staying injury free and building strength to move about their day without pain.
Karissa originally attended Westmont College in beautiful Santa Barbara, and began her B.S. in Psychology, then transferred to Montreat College, in the Appalachian hills of North Carolina, graduating Cum Laude with a B.S. in Music Therapy, and a double minor in Psychology and Music Business.
