Overcoming Familiar Suffering: Dr. Rob Lamberts’ Shift to Membership-Based Medicine

Maryal Concepcion
7 hours ago
7 min read

DPC Doctor

Dr. Rob Lamberts in a blue shirt — Dr. Rob Lamberts

How One Pioneer Rewrote His Medical Legacy Through Human Connection, Access, and Reflective Change

In today’s challenging healthcare environment, stories of transformation and resilience among physicians can serve as beacons for others seeking a path out of burnout and back to meaningful patient care. On a recent episode of the My DPC Story Podcast, host Dr. Maryal Concepcion sat down with Dr. Rob Lamberts, an internist and pediatrician who was among Georgia’s earliest adopters of Direct Primary Care (DPC). Dr. Lamberts’ journey from fee-for-service frustration to DPC recovery is not just an inspiring narrative—it’s loaded with actionable strategies, personal insights, and a roadmap for physicians contemplating a similar leap.

Drawing on Dr. Rob Lamberts's extensive experience and hard-earned wisdom, this blog post will unpack the key themes discussed in the podcast, expanding on lessons that any DPC-curious or practicing physician can apply to their own journey.

The Burnout Trap: The Fee-For-Service Abyss

When Dr. Rob Lamberts started his medical career in 1994, the practice landscape was markedly different: “If you billed for it, they paid you,” he recalls. There weren’t cumbersome oversight mechanisms, and the job was manageable—even if it was busy. But over nearly two decades, the steady encroachment of managed care, insurance requirements, and digital oversight dramatically changed the practice of medicine. Each year, reimbursements shrank and physicians had to see more patients in less time just to stay afloat.

The arrival of electronic medical records (EMRs) was, at first, a hopeful innovation for Dr. Rob Lamberts. He believed they’d enhance patient care, but instead, “it just let them watch what we did closer, and we became data managers.” The work moved further and further away from true patient care, eroding the human connection that had inspired him to pursue medicine in the first place.

This sense of defeat is familiar to many fee-for-service physicians. Dr. Lamberts describes feeling like a cog in a machine, unable to address his patients’ real needs in the brief, harried visits insurance reimbursement allowed. “I felt like I could not give anybody good care; how can you give good care when you’ve got 10 minutes?” he laments.

Embracing Change: The Leap Toward Recovery

Change—especially in mid-career—can be daunting. Dr. Lamberts discusses the psychological inertia that keeps even suffering doctors stuck in broken systems. “Familiar suffering is better than change, for some people,” Dr. Rob Lamberts notes, likening the situation to patients unwilling to implement healthier habits despite knowing better. The comfort of being a “victim” of the system becomes preferable to the vulnerability required to step into the unknown.

For Dr. Rob Lamberts, an irreconcilable difference with partners forced his hand, and the ensuing break gave him the opportunity to search for something different. Encouraged by conversations with DPC thought-leaders like Dave Chase, he realized the emerging DPC model fit his longing to reclaim the physician-patient relationship. He appreciated that it was not just for the affluent, but could serve a broad swath of patients. This clarity gave way to action, and on September 30, 2012, he marked his “sobriety date”—the day he stopped taking insurance money—and opened his DPC clinic in early 2013.

The Early DPC Journey: Building From Scratch

Going solo wasn’t easy. Dr. Rob Lamberts started his new practice with his long-time nurse, Jamie, and about 200 loyal patients who trusted his vision. With little in the way of templates, tech solutions, or peer support, every aspect was an experiment—from choosing (and later building) an EMR, to renovating his new clinic and securing a loan. In those earliest days, sometimes there were no patient visits, but that was an adjustment he learned to embrace: “I got paid just as much on those days as the days I was seeing patients all day long. If people were healthy and doing well, enjoy it.”

A key early lesson came from The Lean Startup philosophy. Dr. Rob Lamberts realized he couldn’t create a perfectly comprehensive practice from day one. Instead, he focused on the “minimum viable product” that his patients valued most: ACCESS. By removing the barriers imposed by fee-for-service medicine and providing direct, unhurried communication—often via secure text messaging—he discovered this was what patients truly cherished. They wanted a doctor who was reachable, responsive, and unburdened by bureaucracy.

Shifting From Transactions to Relationships

Perhaps the most consequential mindset shift between fee-for-service and DPC was redefining care as a continuous relationship rather than a series of transactions. As Dr. Rob Lamberts puts it, “The reality is it’s way more important what happens between office visits than what happens at the office visit.” DPC’s monthly membership model unlocks new possibilities: care by text, phone, or video; ongoing check-ins for chronic illness management; and deft triage for acute issues without the mandatory office visit. His practice protocols empower nurses to handle straightforward problems (like UTI symptoms) by protocol, further enhancing efficiency and satisfaction.

This flexibility allows him to tailor his time—“the busiest day I’ve had in 12 years was 15 patients, and that only happened once”—and focus on meaningful relationships, ongoing monitoring, and providing genuine value, not documentation for billing’s sake.

Patient Response: The Value of Continuous Care

Patients noticed the difference immediately. Many of those who followed Dr. Rob Lamberts to his DPC practice have remained for over a decade, only leaving due to death or relocation. They report feeling truly known and cared for, not as numbers but as individuals. For many, it’s the first time they felt a doctor really listened. “My patients said this practice is you,” Dr. Rob Lamberts shares. The gratitude patients feel for direct access—especially via text—is immense, as is their loyalty. Some even move back to Augusta just to rejoin the practice.

These stories underscore a larger truth: DPC, when done well, delivers value that patients can see and feel. As heavy as the responsibility may seem at first, it quickly gives way to the deep satisfaction that drew many to medicine originally.

Scaling and Collaboration: From Solo to Group Practice

After years of solo DPC, Dr. Rob Lamberts was approached by like-minded providers—family physician Ed Boland and a PA—seeking to escape corporate burnout and build something better. Though initially scarred by past partnership drama, he gradually forged a successful alliance, first sharing space and overhead as separate entities, then merging operations under the Welcome Health brand. Today, Welcome Health serves over 2,300 patients (mostly retail, with some business contracts), and continues to grow by welcoming new providers and considering creative expansion, like urgent care fronts for outreach.

For those contemplating similar collaborative models, Dr. Rob Lamberts emphasizes the importance of shared values, learning each other’s cultures, and being adaptable. Not every DPC physician aims to build an empire; for Dr. Rob Lamberts, expansion was about legacy, sustainability, and giving more doctors the gift of joyful practice.

Tech Philosophy: Enhancing, Not Distracting, From Care

A recurring pitfall in contemporary medicine is allowing technology to become an end rather than a means. Dr. Rob Lamberts has a clear strategy: “If it improves your access, then the tech is probably a good thing.” In his clinic, practical tools like secure text enable better patient contact, but he avoids overcomplicating the tech stack. He’s found that phone calls suffice for most remote care, and only adopts tools that tangibly add value—like smartwatch-based fall detection or convenient in-office pharmacy for discounted generics.

Most importantly, he steers clear of tech that shifts the focus from patients to code collection or data management for outsiders. When he built his own EMR, it was designed solely for patient care, not reimbursement justification. The signal lesson? Technology should serve the relationship, not the other way around.

Navigating Insurance Conversations: Focus on What You Can Change

While DPC is engineered to sidestep insurance headaches for primary care, patients (especially older adults) inevitably bring insurance questions to their doctors’ doorsteps. Dr. Rob Lamberts is pragmatic: “We’re trying to fix primary care—we are not trying to fix the whole healthcare problem.” He refers patients to trusted benefits advisors or state resources when needed, but prioritizes his role as a primary care provider. By keeping the focus on what he does best—timely, accessible, ongoing care—he avoids mission creep and professional burnout.

Legacy and Advice: Building A Life You’re Proud Of

Looking back, Dr. Rob Lamberts frames his DPC story as one of recovery—not only for himself and his patients, but for the profession he loves. The ability to be present for “30-year patients,” share in families’ struggles and milestones, and leave a legacy for younger physicians has transformed his career and outlook. He wants other doctors to know this is possible: a stable, rewarding medical life, where you can take vacation, care for your body, enrich your community, and still build a sustainable practice.

His advice for those considering the transition? Study the stories, do the research, but understand that your DPC path will be uniquely yours. “To some extent, you just have to go out there and pay the price… Your story is going to be your story,” he says. Whether you launch solo, find partners, or try something new, what matters is reclaiming your agency and joy.

Final Reflections: Recovery Can Be Collective

Dr. Rob Lamberts sums it up with a metaphor: after leaving fee-for-service, “It felt like you got out of an abusive relationship.” DPC gave him—and can give others—the chance to say “you’re welcome” rather than “I’m sorry” in clinical encounters, to offer care that is free from compromise, and to build practices that are sustainable not despite, but because of, personal well-being.

For listeners—and now, readers—his journey serves as a call to reflective action. Whether you’re suffering through familiar frustrations or standing at the edge of change, consider Dr. Lamberts’ story as evidence that recovery, connection, and professional fulfillment are possible. With strategic focus, compassion, and a willingness to adapt, your own DPC story can echo these lessons and carry the movement forward for another generation.

Listen to the episode and let these lessons inform your next bold step. Recovery, for you and your patients, is not just possible—it’s within reach.

EASTER EGG: The winning costume contest costume: Col. Sanders from KFC!