The Bad Business Decisions That Built a 1,500-Patient Direct Primary Care Practice with Dr. Charles Opperman - Part 1

DPC Life: Direct Primary Care Podcast · Oct 6, 2026 · 22m

Is age-based pricing really the only way to run a Direct Primary Care practice? Dr. Charles Opperman, internist and founder of Simplicity Health in Ohio, didn't think so. He planned his Direct Primary Care practice during COVID while his hospital system made him sit in an empty office from 8:00 to 5:00, and he built it on memberships priced by access instead of age.

Six years later, Simplicity Health has 1,500 patients and four physicians, even after an online post about his tiered model drew comments saying it was "certain to fail." His approach charges more for cell phone access and a…