Free Market Healthcare Hub

By Frontier Institute - May 3, 2022

Free Market Healthcare Hub

By Frontier Institute - May 3, 2022

Governor Gianforte and the 2021 Montana Legislature ushered in one of the most dramatic expansions of healthcare access in recent memory and made Montana a leader in free market healthcare.

The Free Market Healthcare Hub maps where verified Direct Patient Care (DPC) clinics are operating in Montana. The Hub also links to other resources that Montanans can use to shop for healthcare from providers that embrace price transparency and free market principles.

Key Points

The number of DPC providers in Montana has doubled since Gov. Gianforte signed SB 101 last year, the most expansive authorization of DPC in the country.
Frontier Institute has verified at least 18 healthcare providers located in Montana who operate primarily with the DPC model.
Healthcare providers using the DPC model in Montana include physicians, nurse practitioners, naturopaths, and pharmacists.
The average DPC membership fee for comprehensive primary care is $77/month in Montana.
Based on the average patient panel size for a DPC provider, Montana’s DPC industry is now providing an estimated 5,000 Montana patients with affordable, high quality healthcare.

Find DPC in Montana

The following map shows Montana DPC providers that meet the following criteria:

#1 Actively accepting patients

#2 Advertise primarily as a DPC healthcare practice

#3 Embrace price transparency by publishing the price of all DPC services publicly online

#4 Frontier Institute was able to confirm practice details with the provider directly and with a third party source such as the Montana Direct Patient Care Association.

** If you operate a DPC or cash-based healthcare practice in Montana and would like to be listed on this resource, please contact info@frontierinstitute.org

What is DPC?

Direct Patient Care (DPC) is an innovative model where patients bypass insurance to pay for healthcare services directly, often in the form of a low cost membership similar to a gym membership.

Last year Governor Gianforte signed SB 101, the most expansive authorization of DPC in the country. While other states authorize DPC only for primary care, Montana is the first state in the nation to allow DPC with any health provider.

Frontier Institute has promoted extensive research about the benefits of Direct Patient Care for both patients and doctors, including:

By eliminating the middlemen and bureaucracy involved in billing insurance, patients in direct care save on overall healthcare costs.
Patients in direct care practices have the opportunity to form a stronger relationship with their doctor, which has been shown to prevent expensive conditions and save on costs over the long run.
Without the documentation, coding and billing of insurance, direct care practices are able to regularly post the real cost of services on their website, and not just estimates.
By taking insurance out of the equation, doctors are able to save money and eliminate overhead, allowing a closer focus on their patients.