A Conversation with Dr. Jamie Baines, Founder and Owner of Kite Dream Care and Zak Holdsworth, CEO and Co-Founder Hint Health

Taking the Leap Into DPC

If you’re already familiar with the fundamentals of Direct Primary Care (DPC), you know that transitioning away from insurance-driven models to a membership-based system is about more than just administrative changes—it’s a deeply personal, entrepreneurial journey. Yet, even among DPC enthusiasts, some stories stand out as uniquely instructive. Dr. Jamie Baines, founder of Kite Dream Care, built a flourishing DPC practice within just a year and two months of opening her doors. She quickly filled her panel, developed a waiting list of 40 patients, brought on another physician, and began considering additional hires.

How did she achieve such rapid momentum in what is often a challenging landscape for physician entrepreneurs? On the My DPC Story Podcast, Dr. Baines joined host Dr. Maryal Concepcion and Hint Health co-founder Zak Holdsworth to open up about her strategy, workflows, and her ongoing process of reflection and adaptation. The discussion provided a treasure trove for DPC physicians looking to deepen their own journey, with actionable insights around technology, mindset, and the power of community.

Facing the Fear: Stepping Away from the Status Quo

For Dr. Baines, as with many DPC converts, burnout and exhaustion were the catalysts. Ten years in a high-volume fee-for-service clinic—30 patients a day, weekends, inpatient newborn care—left her feeling unable to serve her community in the way she envisioned.

“The hardest part is the risk of leaving,” she recalled. “I was afraid to tell my patients, coworkers, colleagues in my practice. To leave was really scary and almost for me, harder than setting up a practice.” This raw honesty will resonate with any physician pondering DPC: the administrative hurdles pale in comparison to the emotional challenge of leaving security and professional familiarity.

Reflective Questions:

• What is truly driving your desire to embrace DPC—burnout, autonomy, or a vision for better care?

• How might you prepare, emotionally and logistically, for these foundational changes?

Finding the Right Tools and Training: The Bootcamp Effect

Pragmatically, Dr. Baines needed strong operational support. She found it in the Hint Bootcamp—a 12-week cohort-based training program for DPC launchers. The program extends far beyond technical checklists. It starts with the existential: “What is your why?” Mapping your vision to your daily operations ensures your clinical and entrepreneurial decisions serve your central mission.

Dr. Baines credited the bootcamp’s group learning environment, access to mentors, and linked weekly check-ins for helping her harness momentum: “Being with a cohort who’s doing the exact same thing at the exact same time…was just really helpful. That got me going.”

This goes beyond e-courses; it’s about collaborative accountability. Sharing both questions and fears accelerates growth and resilience.

Reflective Questions:

• Have you articulated your “why” in writing, and does it guide your clinic’s policies?

• Are you accessing community learning, not just solo research, during pre-launch?

The All-in-One Platform Mindset: Reducing Administrative Friction

Rather than stitching together a patchwork of tools—separate billing, communications, and EHR systems—Dr. Baines opted for Hint Clinical’s integrated offering.

She explains, “I didn’t want to float between the combo that people often say of Hint for billing, Elation for EHR, Spruce for communications…they told me, ‘We are working on building our EHR, and this is our roadmap.’ Now, my EHR is tagged into my communications. My text messaging is integrated into the chart. My patient’s email and billing are integrated… It’s cost effective because I have one program.”

Particularly during the startup phase, this streamlined toolset reduced both financial burden and cognitive overload. As Dr. Baines notes, “It was free while I did the Hint community cohort… and the first month was free as well. That really took a financial burden off my plate.” For DPC physicians without administrative staff (she didn’t hire a virtual assistant until several months in), integrated systems aren’t just convenient—they’re essential for maintaining quality care and personal sanity.

Reflective Questions:

• Is your chosen tech stack optimized for your actual workflow, or are you losing time to redundant processes?

• Have you considered all-in-one options that minimize friction for both you and your patients?

Delightful Patient Experience: Streamlining Care Delivery

Efficiency translates directly to patient experience and physician satisfaction. Dr. Baines shared a vivid example:

“A patient just texted me, ‘Hey, I got my same UTI that I get. Cipro always works. Can you send it into my pharmacy that’s on file?’ I text back, ‘Yes, sending in right now.’ That also goes into their chart…The pharmacy is already on file and done. I don’t have to write a note—the text message is the note. All the loops are closed. That would have been 30 minutes of back and forth in my old setting.”

This degree of ease is not just a selling point for patients—it’s what allows DPC physicians to maintain personal connection without sacrificing efficiency.

Reflective Questions:

• What would your ideal patient communication and care workflow look like if technology were built “for you”?

• How can you leverage tech to close the loop and eliminate administrative double entry?

Continual Improvement: Agile Development with Community Feedback

A recurring theme in the conversation was the uniquely collaborative—and responsive—nature of Hint Clinical’s development ethos. Dr. Baines describes a support system unlike any she’d experienced: “I know all your support staff by first name…They’re directly involved, that doesn’t happen anywhere else.”

When Dr. Baines or her peers hit a snag or had a feature request (“I have to push this button three times, is this just me or is this a bug?”), the Hint team would often fix it within a day. At their annual Hint Summit, in-person connections with the development team accelerated this virtuous feedback loop.

Zak Holdsworth further revealed their product roadmap pivots rapidly based on user interviews: “Every single doctor wanted a different thing…so what we ended up launching is the ability for every doctor to have the chart the way they want it.” The result? Widespread adoption within 24 hours.

Reflective Questions:

• Is your EHR or practice management system listening to your real-world needs—or is it imposing a rigid workflow?

• Do you regularly participate in user groups, summits, or feedback sessions to shape your tools?

Flexibility and Personalization: Building for Your Growth

As Dr. Baines began expanding her practice—bringing on a new physician and possibly more—she needed her technology to stay nimble. Her clinic opted to keep patient panels, faxes, texts, and communications separate for each physician. With Hint Clinical, this meant simply opening a new account and setting up access according to her preferences.

“There are just different styles… I thought a lot of practices would be similar, turns out they’re not,”

Dr. Baines reflected. This flexibility helps DPC practices retain their authenticity, even as they grow and diversify their offerings.

Hint has deliberately prioritized this flexibility: “As a technology company, we’ve tried our best to enable the system to have the flexibility to operate the way that you want to operate as opposed to being prescriptive…We’re not the innovator here; we’re the enabler of the innovator,” Zak explained.

Reflective Questions:

• Are your current tools and processes preparing you for scalable growth and staff onboarding?

• Have you mapped how your workflow would need to change if you doubled in size—or added new clinicians?

The Power of Community: Engaging and Giving Back

Throughout the podcast, both Dr. Baines and Zak emphasized that the DPC journey is never a solo act. Dr. Baines highlighted the value she found in “finding people and connecting with people, even if it’s just hearing their stories. Knowing you’re not alone is so important in this journey of physician entrepreneurship.”

She invited listeners to join the DPC community, collaborate, and give feedback—not just to vendors but to each other. As Zak encouraged, “If you have perspective and you want to be involved, please do let us know because we live to support this community.”

Even as a high-achieving, type-A physician, Dr. Baines seeks connection: “I’m looking for friends and colleagues and like-minded people who also want to participate and engage. That’s what’s really special about this and that’s why I’m here.”

Reflective Questions:

• Are you prioritizing regular community engagement—online or in-person—to break out of professional isolation?

• What proactive steps can you take to share both your wins and challenges with other DPC trailblazers?

Reflect, Build, and Engage

Dr. Jamie Baines’s journey underscores that building a sustainable, joyful DPC practice is about so much more than abandoning insurance contracts. From the emotional leap of leaving a secure job, to embracing collaborative learning environments, choosing (and shaping) the right technology, streamlining patient workflows, and actively engaging in both your vendor and peer community, every step is a chance for growth and reflection.

As you critically assess your own DPC journey:

• Clarify your why.

• Embrace technology that fits your philosophy and operations, not the other way around.

• Never underestimate the power of community—for both wisdom and emotional resilience.

In Dr. Baines’s words, “It is important for people to think about when they’re using an EHR…to think about where is your clinic today, where do you want your clinic to be in five years? And having a tool that is nimble and flexible enough to help you get there—it’s amazing.”

What steps will you take today to reflect on your practice and ensure you are building towards your vision?

LINKS!

Hint Clinical 

Hint Launch Bootcamp

If you’re ready for more, connect with peers, share your journey, and continue learning—both for your own practice and for the benefit of the growing DPC movement.

WATCH THE EPISODE HERE:

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE: