What is Virtual Primary Care?

Sherpaa invented and pioneered Virtual Primary Care over the last 7 years.

VPC is a new genre of primary care.  It’s “mobile-first healthcare.” It is an ongoing relationship you have with the same doctors, that offers cost-effective care conveniently delivered online via a secure, HIPAA-compliant mobile and web app. VPC’s main mode of communication and problem solving is via messaging, photos, health data, phone, and video. This is compared to traditional PCPs who use appointments, office conversations, and per-visit medical bills to communicate and problem solve. VPC doctors order tests, prescribe medication, and own your progress over time. VPC doctors practice VPC full-time. VPC is not something they do on the side. They are 100% dedicated and focused. VPC doctors can diagnose and manage ~95% of conditions a traditional PCP can manage. Because VPC doctors can order lab or imaging tests, communicate with you on an hourly basis (if needed), prescribe medication, and maintain a relationship with you over time, this offsets the value of an in-person physical exam. The vast majority of diagnoses are not made via a physical exam, but by taking a thorough history by asking the right targeted questions and ordering the right tests to confirm suspicions. VPC is accessible 24/7/365 from anywhere in America. VPC is Netflix. Traditional PCPs are Blockbuster. VPC is transparently-priced. It is billed on a per-episode of care or a flat rate for unlimited care (no matter which pricing model is chosen, VPC can be delivered for ~$270 per year per person). VPC serves as both treatment and triage. By communicating online, instead of an office visit, VPC doctors can understand exactly who and what you need without having to see you in person first. 70% of cases are diagnosed and treated without an in-person visit and 30% are referred appropriately. VPC is an always-on communication channel between you and your VPC doctor.Either can communicate with one another at any time. This means a VPC doctor can manage situations differently than traditional PCPs. VPC doctors can say “I have a feeling you’ve got x, but I’m going to check back in in 4 hours to see how you’re doing and we’ll take it from there.” VPCs can diagnose and treat ~70% of primary care health conditions without referring for an in-person visit. This is on par with traditional PCPs who refer to specialists ~30% of the time, after they’ve charged for the visit. VPC doctors do not do physical exams. When an in-person visit is required, a referral is made to a local urgent care center, specialist, retail clinic, or ER. VPC doctors are cost-conscious. For the sake of your bank account, the technology VPC doctors use has cost information baked in at every decision point for the doctor. VPC doctors can steer you toward preferred surgical centers, medications, pharmacies, and testing centers. VPC doctors can diagnose and treat ~1500 conditions while telehealth doctors can diagnose and treat ~30. Traditional telehealth is a 10 minute phone or video call with a random doctor who doesn’t know you, they can’t order tests, they can’t arrange complicated local care for you, and they can’t follow-up with you. VPC doctors are markedly less expensive than traditional PCPs, but more expensive than telehealth. Traditional PCPs bill for every office visit and have brick and mortar overhead. Telehealth is essentially free because usage is low and the kind of conditions they treat don’t affect costs in a significant way. VPC doctors are powered by a data-driven platform. It’s checklist and protocol-driven to make it safe, effective, and efficient. VPC is Sherpaa.