You've probably had this experience. You call your doctor's office with a problem that's been bugging you for two weeks. The earliest appointment is a month out. You take it. You rearrange your schedule, drive there, sit in a waiting room for 40 minutes, and then get roughly 8 minutes of face time before your provider is out the door to the next patient.

And that's pretty much how it goes every time, because the system was set up to move patients through quickly, not to give anyone enough time. At Rhode Island Direct Primary Care, we do something different at our North Kingstown office. It's worth understanding how it works.

Why Conventional Primary Care Feels So Rushed

The math tells the whole story. Most primary care offices need to see 20 to 30 patients a day just to stay financially afloat after insurance overhead, billing staff, coding requirements, and pre-authorization paperwork eat into the budget. That doesn't leave room for a 45-minute conversation about what's really going on with your health.

When every visit has to be coded, billed, and negotiated through a third-party payer, the business model rewards volume. More patients per hour, more revenue. Longer visits, less revenue.

Direct Primary Care Flips That Mode

Direct Primary Care, or DPC, removes insurance from the primary care relationship entirely. No billing codes. No claims. No pre-authorizations for routine care.

Instead, you pay a flat monthly membership fee directly to your practice. That fee covers your primary care: office visits, preventive care, chronic disease management, acute sick visits, care coordination, and direct communication with your provider by phone, text, or email.

The American Academy of Family Physicians has backed DPC as a legitimate alternative to fee-for-service billing.

Here's what that looks like day to day:

• Same-day or next-day appointments. Not three weeks from now.
• Visits that last 30 to 60 minutes. Long enough to actually talk.
• Your provider's direct line. Call, text, or message when something comes up.
• No copays for covered services. Your membership covers it.
• A provider who knows your name, your history, and your goals. Because they're not juggling 2,000 patients.

DPC practices keep their panels small on purpose. A typical insurance-based practice carries 1,500 to 2,500 patients per provider. DPC panels are a fraction of that. According to the Direct Primary Care Coalition, more than 2,300 DPC practices now operate across 48 states, serving over 300,000 patients who decided the old model wasn't working for them.

What DPC Doesn't Cover

Let's be straightforward about this. DPC handles your primary care. It does not replace health insurance.

If you need surgery, get hospitalized, or see a specialist, you'll need separate coverage for that. Most DPC members pair their membership with a high-deductible health plan or a health-sharing arrangement. Think of DPC as covering the 80 to 90 percent of healthcare you actually use on a regular basis: checkups, blood work, managing your blood pressure or thyroid, treating a sinus infection, adjusting your medications, talking through a concern before it becomes a crisis.

The insurance plan handles the catastrophic stuff. DPC handles your day-to-day health. Together, many members find they're spending less overall than they were on a traditional insurance plan with high premiums they barely used.

Who We Are

Rhode Island Direct Primary Care was founded by two clinicians who spent years working inside the conventional system and got tired of watching it fail their patients.

Dr. Letitia Horrigan, DO is board-certified in Internal Medicine and has been caring for adults in outpatient primary care since 2011. She grew up in Rhode Island, went to the University of Rhode Island for her undergraduate degree, and earned her medical degree (DO) from the University of New England. After more than a decade of practice, she saw the same pattern over and over: patients who couldn't get in when they needed to, visits that were too short to be useful, and a scheduling system that made it harder to do the job well.

Deanna Wright, MSN, AGNP-C brings over 30 years of healthcare experience, starting as a CNA in high school and working her way through a decade of Medical-Surgical and ICU nursing before earning her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Rhode Island. She's known for building long-term relationships with patients and treating them the way she'd want her own family treated.

Together, they opened Rhode Island Direct Primary Care in North Kingstown to do primary care the way they always believed it should be done: small panels, long visits, real relationships, and zero insurance billing.

What You Get as a Member

Our membership is built around one idea: your primary care should be easy to access, easy to understand, and worth your time. Pricing is posted on our website because we think you should know what you're paying before you sign up.

Members get unlimited office visits, same-day and next-day scheduling, direct phone and text access to their provider, comprehensive primary care (preventive, chronic, and acute), extended visit times, and continuity with the same provider who actually knows their story.

No copays on covered services. No surprise bills. No calling a 1-800 number and hoping someone calls you back.

Who Does DPC Work Best For?

Honestly, most adults. But it's especially good for a few groups.

Self-employed people and small business owners who are paying for expensive insurance they barely use. A DPC membership plus a high-deductible plan often costs less and delivers dramatically better primary care access.

People managing chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disorders, or anxiety. Frequent, unhurried follow-up with a provider who knows your case makes a measurable difference in outcomes.

Anyone who's felt like a number. If your last doctor's visit left you feeling like you were on a conveyor belt, that's exactly why we started Rhode Island Direct Primary Care.

Still have questions? Our FAQ page covers the most common ones.

See If It's a Fit

We start every new patient relationship with a meet-and-greet. No clipboard. No commitment. Just a conversation about what you're looking for and whether Rhode Island Direct Primary Care is the right match.

Schedule a meet-and-greet with our care team.

Rhode Island Direct Primary Care is located at The Meadows Professional Office Park, 1130 Ten Rod Rd, Suite E-205, North Kingstown, RI 02852. Call (401) 409-2033 or reach us online. Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM; Friday, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.