Building an Enduring DPC Practice: Lessons from Dr. Brad Brown, Brad Butler and the Hint Health Community
- Maryal Concepcion
- May 9
- 6 min read
Updated: May 10
Actionable Business Insights and Community Wisdom for Direct Primary Care Doctors on the Growth Journey
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a movement embraced by doctors seeking to reclaim the heart of medicine: patient relationships and physician autonomy. But beyond the philosophical drive, building and sustaining a successful DPC practice requires strategy, support, and the ability to adapt to business realities.
In today’s episode, host Maryal Concepcion, MD sat down with Dr. Brad Brown—who launched Strive Direct Care during residency and now wears both clinical and tech leadership hats at Hint Health—and Brad Butler, head of sales at Hint Health. Their conversation offers a goldmine of practical wisdom, especially for DPC doctors determined to refine their model and fuel the larger movement.
If you are a DPC physician or a clinician plotting your own DPC launch, this in-depth blog distills Dr. Brown's strategies and reflections, paired with insight on leveraging community, tech, and the broader Hint ecosystem.
Founding a DPC Practice in Residency: The Advantage of Early Momentum
Dr. Brad Brown’s journey into DPC is unique—not many clinicians have the audacity to launch a practice in the midst of residency. “I didn’t mean to start a clinic during residency. It just kind of snowballed, and I didn’t want to stop that momentum,” recalls Dr. Brown. That early start gave him experiential learning in real-time, forcing him to adapt and improvise as both a clinician and entrepreneur.
Takeaway:Don’t underestimate the power of momentum—even if it feels premature. Sometimes, the best learnings come from diving in headfirst and solving problems as you go. Early launches can also help you build community roots before entering the next life phase as an attending.
Navigating Growth: Hiring, Scaling, and Avoiding Plateau
After years in practice, Dr. Brown’s clinic, Strive Direct Care, continues to defy his own growth expectations. “I thought there'd kinda be a plateau, but it just keeps going,” he shares, expressing gratitude and surprise at the steady influx of new members, even as more DPC clinics opened in his North Denver area.
A pivotal decision for Dr. Brown’s practice was hiring a Physician Assistant (PA) with 25 years’ experience, expanding capacity and deepening the team’s capabilities. “I should have hired a virtual MA about three years before I did. That was the best decision we made,” Dr. Brown advises. Waiting too long to hire can stifle both service offerings and your own bandwidth as a founder.
Advice for DPC Owners:
Plan early for hiring support staff: Virtual MAs, nurses, or administrative help can relieve clinical and operational burdens, allowing you to focus on patient care and business growth.
Embrace steady, iterative growth: Avoid assuming your growth will stall; track your numbers and realize when it’s time to expand your team proactively rather than reactively.
Lean on your local DPC peer group: As more clinics emerge, coordinate and collaborate instead of viewing them as competition—group texts, shared advice, and mutual referrals can help everyone thrive.
From Frustration to Innovation: Building Hint Clinical
Many DPC doctors confront the limitations of existing medical software, particularly EMRs that don’t align with the needs of a membership practice. Dr. Brown didn’t just cope—he built his own electronic health record during his early career, which later evolved into Hint Clinical. As medical director for Hint, his dual perspective as a practicing doctor and technology innovator allows him to bring first-hand clinical challenges directly into product development. He highlights Hint's commitment to DPC: “Hint is the only company in the space that’s investing every spare dollar back into the DPC ecosystem…Into Summit, the Hint Boot Camp, the DPC playbooks, Hint Connect, and all the data and reports.”
Key Strategy:Use software and infrastructure designed explicitly for DPC. Whether you are building your own tech stack or partnering with companies like Hint, find tools that minimize your paperwork and maximize your time with patients. Tech isn’t just operational support—it’s a multiplier for your growth.
The Hint Community and Boot Camp: Mentorship, Playbooks, and Problem-Solving
Embarking on the DPC path can be isolating—most clinicians aren’t trained in business, law, or marketing. This is where a robust peer network and structured educational support are essential.
Dr. Brown emphasizes the value of both virtual and in-person communities. Even as a second-year med student, he sought out advice from the DPC Docs Facebook group. Now, the Hint community, including its startup toolkit and Boot Camp, brings every resource to the doctor’s fingertips—legal, branding, tech, and more.
Hints for Success:
Access the Hint Startup Playbook: Practical checklists covering pricing, legalities, branding, membership sales, and more are vital for the pre-launch phase.
Join the Hint Boot Camp: Twelve-week cohorts walk new DPCs through everything from office design to financials, with mentorship from founders like Dr. Brown and industry experts. Weekly sessions and hands-on exercises allow participants to workshop their real-world challenges in a supportive environment.
Learn by Doing—and Failing: Role-playing, pitching, and presenting to peers (sometimes getting critical feedback on things like website design) creates a safe space to test, fail, and improve before facing the market.
Analyzing the DPC Movement: Data-Driven Trends and "DPC Plus" Service Expansion
Anecdotal excitement about DPC is everywhere, but what do the hard numbers show? Brad Butler shared key data from Hint’s aggregation of clinics and membership billing:
As of this writing, there are at least 3,600+ DPC practices across the US, with 19-20% growth year over year since early 2022.
Doctors are increasingly experimenting with “DPC Plus” services—adding weight loss management, hormone therapy, and wellness offerings that both attract new patients and diversify revenue beyond monthly memberships.
Interpretation for DPC Doctors:
The movement is undeniably here to stay and expanding, driven by both physician dissatisfaction with fee-for-service and patient demand for real relationships.
Diversifying your clinical offerings in response to community needs can improve patient satisfaction and financial sustainability.
Regularly review data on your panel size, service mix, and retention rates to stay agile and responsive to opportunities.
Overcoming Common Growth Barriers: On-Call Realities and Staffing Uncertainties
Many would-be DPC doctors fear nonstop availability or are uncertain about the process and timing for hiring support. Dr. Brown demystifies these points:
On-Call Fears: Your availability model is your choice. Set boundaries and design after-hours protocols that match your lifestyle and practice mission.
Hiring Anxiety: Most doctors lack formal training in hiring. Dr. Brown admits he’s no HR expert but stresses learning by doing—and points out that, over time, most successful hires come via word-of-mouth and mission-alignment rather than strict resume scoring.
Tech Stack as Enabler: Use robust tools (EMR, membership management, communication) to reduce administrative burden, freeing up attention for outreach, staff management, and business analysis.
Harnessing Employer Partnerships: Hint Connect, Networks, and Employer Demand
Employer-sponsored DPC is rapidly becoming a pillar of sustainable practice growth. Dr. Brown shares his own evolution from skepticism to enthusiastic participation in employer affiliate networks and now Hint Connect.
Why Employers Matter: Partnering with businesses allows access to large pools of potential members, many of whom might never find your clinic otherwise.
Employer Relationships Take Time: “There’s a long lead time before a company will sign up, but those relationships pay off,” says Dr. Brown.
Hint Connect and Recruiting: Over 6,500 US employers now sponsor DPC memberships as employee benefits. At Hint, the portion of memberships paid for by employers leapt from 43% in 2022 to 58% in 2024.
Action Steps:
Network with local businesses and participate in employer-focused DPC networks.
Consider Hint Connect or similar platforms to expand your panel and create a more recession-resistant member base.
Use employer partnerships as an accelerant to cover fixed expenses quickly and facilitate long-term growth.
The Power of Community: Avoiding Isolation and Realizing Shared Wins
Perhaps the most powerful recurring message from Dr. Brown and Brad Butler is the value of community—both as emotional support and business accelerator.
Whether you’re sharing the thrill of your first Chamber of Commerce event or dissecting a failed marketing campaign, having like-minded peers fosters momentum and guards against burnout.
National gatherings, such as the annual Hint Summit (this year @ Rosetta Fest), offer DPC physicians a chance to celebrate wins, learn from seasoned operators, and feel the energy of the movement in person.
The mentality is clear: Never do this alone.
The Future: DPC as a Lasting Force in American Healthcare
Dr. Brown leaves listeners with a bold but evidence-backed claim: “DPC is here to stay. It’s not a fledgling movement anymore—the data is backing it. The demand is there.” Burnout may not disappear, but within DPC, it’s transformed: the “burnout from amazingness”—the fulfillment of changing patients’ lives, regaining control, and influencing the broader direction of healthcare.
Closing Encouragement:
If you’re on the fence (in med school, residency, or in traditional practice), explore the Hint Startup Toolkit and the Boot Camp. Seek mentorship, join the community, and attend live gatherings to keep your passion fueled and your business supported.
Above all, remember: DPC offers not just a way to care for patients, but to create a sustainable, joy-filled career in medicine.
Resource Links:
Hint Connect to connect you with Employers
Hint Summit @ Rosetta Fest – August in Denver, Colorado Take $50 off your registration through May 31st with code: HINT50
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