How DPC Can Help Manage Your Melanoma

Updated on: November 15, 2023

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops from the cells that produce the pigment (melanin) that gives your skin its color (melanocytes). The appearance of melanoma can vary, with the most common appearance being a new spot or a change in the shape, size, or color of an existing mole. If not treated early, melanoma can also cause serious complications, such as spreading to other organs, tissues, or lymph nodes, and can be life-threatening.

Health care provided by direct primary care (DPC) involves patients paying a monthly fee directly to their primary care provider without the involvement of third parties. As a result, they have unlimited access to primary care services such as routine screenings, chronic disease management, acute care visits, and some basic laboratory tests and medications. Because DPC providers do not bill insurance companies, they are able to spend more time with their patients, offer lower prices, and provide more personalized care.

People with melanoma may benefit from DPC, as it offers the following benefits:

How DPC Can Help Manage Your Melanoma

  • Access to primary care: DPC patients can reach their providers anytime, anywhere, via phone, email, text, or video chat. They can also get same-day or next-day appointments, without waiting times or copays. By doing so, they can receive timely diagnosis and treatment for melanoma, as well as preventative education and advice.

  • Personalized melanoma management: DPC providers can tailor their care to meet the specific needs and preferences of each patient, taking into account their medical history, risk factors, lifestyle, and goals. Using evidence-based guidelines and best practices, they can also monitor their progress and adjust their treatment plan accordingly.

  • With DPC, patients pay a flat monthly fee that covers most of their primary care needs, without any surprises. As DPC providers often negotiate lower prices with their suppliers or offer these services at cost, they can also save money on medications, laboratory tests, and imaging services. Also, DPC patients do not have to pay high premiums, deductibles, or copays for health insurance they may not need or use.

  • An enhanced patient experience and satisfaction: DPC patients can build a more trusting and lasting relationship with their provider, who knows them well and cares for them holistically. There is also more control and choice for them over their health care decisions without government or insurance companies interfering.

The Benefits of DPC for Melanoma Patients

Melanoma patients can benefit from DPC by improving their health outcomes, quality of life, reducing health care costs and utilization.

  • Prevention and early detection are improved

  • Complications and hospitalizations were reduced

  • Improved adherence and follow-up

  • Empowerment and engagement of patients

Personalized Melanoma Management in DPC

A DPC provider can provide patients with personalized melanoma management based on their individual characteristics, needs, and preferences.

  • DPC providers can assess and stratify their patients' melanoma risk based on their exposure, immunity, genetics, and other factors.

  • Using the most appropriate and available diagnostic tools, such as physical examination, family history, genetic testing, or imaging studies, DPC providers can diagnose their patients' melanoma accurately and rapidly. 

  • DPC providers can monitor and evaluate their patients' melanoma regularly, using clinical and laboratory parameters, such as tumor size, shape, color, or thickness, lymph node status, or biomarkers.

  • Providers of DPC can educate and counsel their patients about melanoma, its causes, transmission, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and complications.

Conclusion

As a type of skin cancer, melanoma can cause a variety of problems in various parts of the body, including the skin, eyes, and lymph nodes. In addition to spreading to other organs, tissues, or bones, melanoma can also cause life-threatening complications.

If you're looking for a more convenient, affordable, and comprehensive way to manage your melanoma, as well as your overall health and well-being, DPC can be a great option for you. By providing people with a proactive, preventive, and personalized approach to healthcare, DPC can help them achieve the first wealth of health, as Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said.

Published on: November 15, 2023
Doctors that manage melanoma
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    Dr. Shen is a fantastic physician. She describes medical conditions in layperson's terms. She is respectful and polite. Her clinical abilities are exceptional!
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