Interview with Dr. Josh Umbehr – 406

In this week’s podcast episode, Dr. Josh Umbehr explains why physicians should switch to Direct Primary Care if their current practice leaves them unfulfilled.

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He shares how simplifying healthcare by removing insurance, offering transparent pricing, and focusing purely on patient care can restore meaning to medicine and create a more sustainable, fulfilling way to practice.

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Foundational Economics of Healthcare

Dr. Josh Umbehr’s path to Direct Primary Care started with an early look at the business side of medicine. Working as a medical biller for a plastic surgeon, Josh discovered the financial struggles caused by insurance reimbursement issues that his medical training hadn’t prepared him for. That experience, paired with his father’s simple and successful trash collection business, where customers paid once a month for weekly service, revealed how misaligned healthcare delivery and payment systems had become.

Over the past 15 years, Dr. Umbehr has shown how a membership-based model that eliminates insurance middlemen can help physicians return to what drew them to medicine in the first place. By spending time with patients, diagnosing problems, and providing care without the heavy administrative burden that turns doctors into data clerks, practice is fulfilling again. Jumping through numerous hoops to successfully document, code, bill, and collect payment for your services adds a huge administrative burden that detracts from patient care. You will be shocked by how pleasant practice can be when you switch to direct primary care and eliminate those distractions.

Practical Strategies to Switch to Direct Primary Care

Success in Direct Primary Care requires understanding that the membership model creates natural balance points where practices must provide sufficient value to retain patients while maintaining operational efficiency to remain profitable. Dr. Umbehr’s Atlas MD practice operates with five physicians across two locations, demonstrating scalability while preserving the personal relationships that define quality primary care, where physicians know not just patients but their family members by name.

The model attracts physicians seeking alternatives to burnout-inducing volume requirements, offering the professional satisfaction of practicing medicine as originally envisioned rather than serving as intermediaries in complex billing systems. By providing free consulting and resources to other physicians interested in DPC transitions, Dr. Umbehr advocates for movement growth that benefits the broader healthcare system through increased access to affordable, relationship-based primary care. He makes the switch to direct primary care so much easier.

Summary

Dr. Josh Umbehr shows how the switch to Direct Primary Care (DPC) gives physicians more autonomy while making healthcare affordable and accessible for patients. In Part 2 of this episode (next week), he shares his tech innovations and “Not Health Insurance” model, while also offering free DPC consulting and tools through Atlas MD.

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Disclaimers:

Many of the links that I refer you to, and that you’ll find in the show notes, are affiliate links. That means that I receive a payment from the seller if you purchase the affiliate item using my link. Doing so has no effect on the price you are charged. And I only promote products and services that I believe are of high quality and will be useful to you, that I have personally used or am very familiar with.

The opinions expressed here are mine and my guest’s. While the information provided on the podcast is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, there is no express or implied guarantee that using the methods discussed here will lead to success in your career, life, or business.

The information presented on this blog and related podcast is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only. It should not be construed as medical, legal, tax, or emotional advice. If you take action on the information provided on the blog or podcast, it is at your own risk. Always consult an attorney, accountant, career counselor, or other professional before making any major decisions about your career.