Brooke, workforce and sustainability specialist with the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing, opened the Compensation & Benefits Action Group meeting with an informational presentation on direct primary care (DPC), also known as concierge medicine. The department emphasized the material was shared for awareness and not as an endorsement of any clinic.

Brooke defined DPC as a membership model in which patients or employers pay a flat monthly or annual fee directly to a clinic for primary‑care services rather than billing insurance. "If you take nothing away from this presentation today, take away that direct primary care is not insurance," she said, adding DPC typically does not cover hospital, emergency or specialty care and must be paired with comprehensive coverage for high‑cost events.

The presentation outlined differences with traditional insurance: DPC is a direct contract between patient (or employer) and clinic, often offers same‑day or next‑day appointments and longer visit times, and provides predictable per‑member costs. Brooke said employers can negotiate membership rates for employees and use flexible cost‑sharing arrangements to offer DPC as part of benefits packages.

Speakers pointed attendees to resources for further research: American Academy of Family Physicians material on DPC models, the DPC Alliance for employer guidance, patient FAQs, a national DPC Mapper, and Colorado‑specific resources including Colorado DPC and the Colorado Health 2026 guide. Brooke referenced a Colorado bill noted in the presentation as "HB 1711 15" as the statutory history that established a separate category for direct primary health care agreements in state law.

Brooke listed several Colorado clinics that appear in the Mapper and state resources (Pure Family Medicine, Peak Med, Stone Medical, Pinnacle Colorado Springs DPC, Alpenglow and Trailhead) and encouraged stakeholders to consult the slides (to be circulated) and contact clinics directly for membership levels and pricing. The department will share slides and chat links after the meeting so attendees can explore provider options and decide whether DPC might fit employees or clients.