Grow your practice with Hint Connect
On Hint Connect, you have the autonomy to practice DPC based on your clinical expertise and relationship with your patients. Designed with input from clinicians, DPC networks, employers, and benefit advisors, Hint Connect can help you grow your practice through our relationships larger, geographically diverse employers.
As a clinician:
Free to join
Set your own rate
Non-exclusive agreement
Customized clinician profile
Set your panel capacity
HintOS not required
Frequently Asked Questions
Do DPCs have to pay to participate?
No! Hint Connect charges employers a flat PMPM for administrative services on top of the DPC fee. We do not take payment from DPCs or take a “cut” of the DPC fee.
Am I allowed to negotiate language in the Hint Connect contract?
We realize that our contract doesn’t fit every practice perfectly. We are open to discussing areas where you have questions and making changes where we mutually agree make sense. We welcome your feedback because we want to ensure this arrangement works for you.
Why does Hint want to have access to a patient's medical records?
We ask clinicians to provide access to aggregated medical records for Hint Connect members as the data may be used in employer reporting or to respond to an audit. In the event that Hint Connect is audited by government agencies, clinicians that are part of the network will need to assist by providing related records and documentation to ensure optimal outcome of the audit. We will not be requesting for records without specific indication. Any data collection and dissemination of such data by Hint Connect will be HIPAA compliant and follow any other applicable state and federal privacy and data security laws.
Do I have to accept every member that is sent my way?
We fully respect the rules and engagement between a DPC provider and their patients. Hint encourages providers to have Hint Connect members review and sign the practice’s member agreement upon receiving membership through Hint Connect. In the event the member is not a great fit for the practice, the provider should provide Hint as well as the member at least 30 days written notice, so we can work with the member to find a new provider. During this 30 day period, the provider should continue to provide services to the member.
How are clinicians informed of additional services required by a plan sponsor?
When a plan sponsor has additional or special terms that differ from the terms that we’ve currently outlined above, Hint will provide notice, written or via HintOS to inform the clinician of such a new Direct Care Services Agreement. It is at this point that the clinician may opt out or suspend new Member enrollment within 14 days.
You require DPCs to offer After-Hours Access. What does that entail?
A key differentiator of DPC for employers is the amazing access that DPCs offer patients. We request that DPCs have a process for when patients reach out for guidance regarding acute concerns that arise unexpectedly after office hours. Video chat and text messaging may be utilized when the clinician and patient agree that it is appropriate. As part of the electronic communication access service, members should understand that if they cannot speak to a provider via electronic communication or in-person, they shall call 911 or go to the nearest emergency medical assistance and follow the directions of such emergency medical personnel.
How are DPCs being paid for ancillary services like labs, in-house medications and other tests that are not part of the monthly membership fee?
Whether or not ancillary services are covered by employers will vary depending on the plan sponsor. Hint Connect encourages employers to pay for routine labs, medications and other basic tests to keep the patient out of pocket at $0. Employers are responsible for educating their employees if they are responsible for fees at the DPC.
What are expectations around the reporting requirements when working with employers?
Hint Connect does not require DPCs to submit claims. We are still learning plan sponsor requirements when it comes to utilization and clinical data, but the intent is to minimize any administrative burden for the clinician by using technology to passively access information needed.
How are clinicians protected from plan sponsors who may decide to terminate DPC offering?
There is a 60 day notice for the plan sponsor to cease engagement with the clinician so the terms apply in their Hint Connect Direct Care Services agreement. It’s important to remember that employer DPC membership experiences less churn than retail membership.
How are clinicians informed of services required to join Hint Connect?
We outline the specific requirements in our clinician participation agreement in Exhibit A to ensure those who join are indeed practice DPC:
- Medical Services:
- Primary Care
- Preventative Care
- Acute Care
- Chronic Disease Management
- Coordination with Specialist Care
- Non-Medical, Personalized Services:
- After hour access
- Electronic communication access
- Same Day/Next Day Appointments
- Specialist Coordination
How are clinicians informed of members who are leaving their panel? We do not want to be in a position where we provide services only to find out later that the patient is no longer covered.
Plan sponsors will be leveraging our eligibility auto sync (EAS) feature which means clinicians and Hint will be notified when a member is to be removed from the plan. You will receive a notification within HintOS when a member is no longer on your panel if they’ve terminated.
How are clinicians informed of additional services required by a plan sponsor?
When a plan sponsor has additional or special terms that differ from the terms that we’ve currently outlined above, Hint will provide notice, written or via HintOS to inform the clinician of such a new Direct Care Services Agreement. It is at this point that the provider may opt out or suspend new Member enrollment within 14 days.
How soon are clinicians paid for services rendered?
Hint is giving a 30 day allowance for the plan sponsor to pay which is typical for B2B payment terms. Hint Connect will be paying the clinicians as soon as possible after the payer payment is processed.
Connect with Us
Submit your contact information and a member of our network development team will be in touch to review next steps in joining Hint Connect.