How DPC Can Help Manage Your Ingrown Toenail

Updated on: November 30, 2023

There are many causes of ingrown toenails, including wearing tight shoes, cutting nails too short or at an angle, injuring the toes, or having very curved nails. An ingrown toenail is a condition in which the edge or corner of a toenail grows into the surrounding skin, causing pain, inflammation, and infection. Despite the fact that ingrown toenails can affect anyone, they are more common in adolescents and people with diabetes and poor blood circulation.

Having an ingrown toenail can be difficult to deal with, and you may wonder what to do to prevent it from recurring. A health care model called direct primary care (DPC) may be of interest to you, as it gives you direct access to your primary care provider without the involvement of insurance companies or third parties. Our goal in this blog is to explain how DPC can help you manage an ingrown toenail and improve your overall well-being.

The Benefits of DPC for Ingrown Toenail Patients

With DPC, you can pay your primary care provider a monthly, quarterly, or annual fee in exchange for unlimited access to a variety of primary care services, including consultations, exams, care coordination, and some lab tests, all as part of a membership-based health care model. DPC providers do not charge insurance companies or accept copays or deductibles from patients, unlike traditional fee-for-service practices. This means that they can spend more time with their patients, offer more personalized care, and reduce administrative costs and hassles.

Some of the benefits of DPC for ingrown toenail patients are:

  • You can get timely and convenient care for your ingrown toenail without having to wait for an appointment or deal with insurance paperwork. You can contact your DPC provider anytime via phone, email, or video chat, and get same-day or next-day appointments if necessary. If necessary, you can also request home visits or after-hours care.

  • You can get comprehensive and holistic care for your ingrown toenail and any underlying or related conditions, such as diabetes, poor circulation, or nail infections. You can count on your DPC provider to examine your toe, diagnose the cause and severity of your ingrown toenail, and suggest a treatment plan. Your ingrown toenail will also be monitored and followed up on regularly to ensure that it heals properly and doesn't recur.

  • With DPC, you won't have to worry about out-of-pocket expenses or surprise bills if you have an ingrown toenail. Your membership fee covers all primary care services that you need, including your ingrown toenail treatment. You won't have to pay any extra fees or copays at the time of service. As a result, you will know exactly how much your DPC membership costs and what it includes, so that you can budget accordingly.

  • It is possible to get proactive and preventative care for your ingrown toenail. By educating you on how to care for your nails, what shoes to wear, and what lifestyle changes to make, your DPC provider will not only treat your ingrown toenail, but also help you prevent it from happening again. They can also help you improve your general health and well-being by addressing any other health concerns you may have, such as nutrition, exercise, stress management, or chronic conditions.

Personalized Ingrown Toenail Management in DPC

The DPC method can help you manage your ingrown toenail more effectively and live a healthier and happier life, as you can see. Visit the website of the Direct Primary Care Coalition, a national organization that advocates for and supports the direct primary care movement, to find a DPC practice near you if you are interested in joining a practice.

By choosing DPC, you can prevent your ingrown toenail from becoming a bigger problem and cure it with the best care possible.

As Benjamin Franklin once said,

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Published on: November 30, 2023