A primary-care physician who operates a direct-pay practice urged the committee to pass H.1120, legislation that would clarify that direct primary care (DPC) contracts are not insurance and therefore allow physicians to contract directly with patients for primary-care services.

Dr. Michael Tremblay, CEO of Action Medicine in Braintree, described DPC as a model in which practices charge a monthly fee in exchange for comprehensive primary-care services and do not bill insurance for those services. He said the model allows clinicians to spend more time with patients and avoid the administrative burdens of insurance billing. "Because we don't bill insurance for any of our services, we can concentrate on patient care and spend a lot more time with them," Tremblay said, adding that he typically sees eight patients a day in the DPC model.

Supporters said clarifying DPC in state law, as other states have done, could encourage more primary-care providers to adopt the model and could help address shortages in primary care by making the practice financially viable. The committee did not take a formal vote at the hearing.