Blog
August 1st, 2025
One Year In: What I’ve Learned Practicing Direct Primary Care
Dr. Jennifer Haden
A year ago, I opened the doors to my Direct Primary Care (DPC) clinic with a lot of hope and a heart full of purpose. If I'm going to be fully transparent, that hope and purpose was also accompanied with some fear! Now, looking back, I can honestly say, this is the kind of medicine I always dreamed of practicing - like I’ve come home to the heart of medicine.
I’m no longer buried under clicks and billing codes. I’m not rushing from room to room with a ticking clock behind every visit. Instead, I get to sit with my patients. Really sit. I get to listen, fully and without a hand hovering over a computer mouse, and meet people exactly where they are. We don’t just talk about symptoms and prescriptions. We talk about life, family, faith, fears, and goals. We walk side-by-side together through health journeys. It’s no longer just about care; it’s about connection.
This clinic is more than just a building. It’s a space where relationships grow. Where patients become family. Where laughter mixes with healing, and where kindness is currency.
An unexpected blessing has been the grace and encouragement I receive from my patients. I may be the only one in the office, but I’ve never felt alone. We communicate about medications, labs, life updates, and even jokes...like a well-tuned team. My patients know I’m a wife and a mom. They know when it’s county fair week and that our kids are showing animals. When I closed the clinic for that entire week, not a single person complained. Instead, they cheered us on, sent sweet messages, and even apologized if they “bothered me.” That is the kind of soul-giving support that keeps a doctor going!
To all of you who’ve trusted me with your care, who’ve extended grace and encouragement, who’ve made this clinic feel like a second home, thank you. You’ve done more than fill appointment slots. You’ve saved this doctor's soul and restored my hope in medicine.
Thank you for putting your faith in me. Yes, the world of insurance is still a tangled mess, but in this space we’ve built together, I know we’ll be just fine. We’ve got each other and that’s enough. I'm here for you and I'm filled with hope for the journey ahead.
We’ve got this.