About DPCA
We stopped billing insurance for primary care.
Everything else about this practice follows from that one decision.
The seven minute visit is not a personality problem.
Providers do not rush because they want to. A practice that runs on insurance reimbursement has to see a certain number of patients a day to keep the lights on, and every one of those visits carries coding, prior authorizations, and a billing department. The math produces the seven minute visit whether anybody wants it or not.
Brian Fretwell spent 27 years in emergency, family, and occupational medicine watching that math get worse. DPCA was built to run on different math.
You pay us directly, once a month. We do not file a claim for our care. That removes the billing overhead and the volume pressure, so our providers keep small panels and have time. The price is on the website because there is nothing to negotiate.
Mission, vision, values
Mission
Two mission lines are in circulation. The signed contract states "make medicine simple." The live About page states "to change the way healthcare is delivered, making it more straightforward, more affordable, and more attuned to your needs." One of them has to win. Our recommendation is the short one. VERIFY:MISSION
Vision
To change how communities access and pay for healthcare.
Values
- Integrity
- Kindness
- Courage
- Elevate the team
- Champion the mission
What actually happens
01
You pay a flat monthly membership.
$89 for an adult, $35 for a child, $248 family maximum. That is the price list. VERIFY:B1
02
You get a provider, not a rotation.
Small panels mean the person you see knows your history without reading it off a screen.
03
You reach them directly.
Call, text, or email. Most questions never become an appointment.
04
We coordinate what we do not cover.
Hospital, specialist, imaging, surgery. Membership does not cover those. We help you get to them at a rate that is not insane, and we recommend you carry coverage for major medical events.
Where we are
Four clinics: Cleveland, Athens, and Loudon in Tennessee, and Dalton in Georgia, serving the surrounding areas. VERIFY:D8
Cleveland, TN
2626 Peerless Road NW VERIFY:D2
423.650.4831HOURS · Call the clinic for current hours VERIFY:D1
Clinic detailsAthens, TN
620 Congress Parkway N VERIFY:D2
423.405.1990HOURS · Call the clinic for current hours VERIFY:D1
Clinic detailsDalton, GA
708 S. Glenwood Ave VERIFY:D2
706.229.8333HOURS · Call the clinic for current hours VERIFY:D1
Clinic detailsLoudon, TN
Address VERIFY:D3b
Phone VERIFY:D3b
HOURS · Call the clinic for current hours VERIFY:D1
Clinic detailsDPCA's operating context references Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. The August 6 statement names Tennessee and Georgia only, which points at no South Carolina but did not say so. VERIFY:D4
Who runs it
Brian Fretwell PA-C, MPH
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Brian founded DPCA to fix the thing he had watched break for 27 years. He started as a field and flight paramedic, then earned dual degrees in physician assistant studies and public health at Nova Southeastern University, and has practiced across emergency, family, and occupational medicine. Originally from Vero Beach, Florida, he now lives in Cleveland.
Family time, travel, civic work, conservation, hunting, fishing, and Tennessee football.
Beth Prine MBA
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Beth practiced physical therapy for over 20 years across outpatient and occupational medicine, carrying management responsibility alongside patient care. She graduated from the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis and earned her MBA from Bryan College. She runs DPCA's operations.
Weekend gatherings, cooking, gardening, boating, and lake days with her husband Jeff.
Cathy Thompson Peterson
Controller
Cathy is a Cleveland native with over 20 years in financial and business management. She started working with DPCA shortly after it opened, as a consultant through Fiscal Solutions, and joined the team as Controller in 2021.
It is a privilege to be a part of a team of individuals whom I greatly admire and who are dedicated to providing the best care for their patients.
Family, friends, kayaking, hiking, and dancing.
Jamie Rogers
Account Manager
Jamie graduated from Lee University in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration. Originally from Atlanta, he chose Lee for the family ties that already had him visiting Cleveland regularly. He learned about DPCA in 2021 and set out to work there. He joined in January 2023 and handles new client relationships.
People deserve great care at an affordable price.
His dog Erik Church, running, and summers wakeboarding and boating on Parksville Lake.
It's not insurance. It's health care.
That line has been on this practice's material since the beginning and it is still the shortest true description of what we do.