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Dec '25 • Common DPC Mistakes
The Real Product of FirstCall DPC Isn’t Medicine
This Costs $0 to Implement — and It’s Costing Clinics Millions Not To
This is not about an awkward script your staff has to memorize.
It’s not about SEO hacks.
It’s not about some magical unicorn platform promising “innovation.”
In the next 7 minutes, you can implement something today:
  • with the team you already have
  • with your current pay structure
  • with your existing software
  • without buying anything
But first, a true story.
The $1,800 Phone Call That Exposed Everything
A woman named Victoria on our team needed blood work. So did her partner.
She asked where to go. I referred her to two clinics—both existing clients.
  • Clinic #1: ~$250 for consult + labs
  • Clinic #2: ~$900 for essentially the same thing
Naturally, she called the cheaper clinic first.
Call #1: put on hold
Call #2: put on hold
Call #3:
“Hey, you’ve put me on hold twice and hung up twice.”
Obligatory apology.
Placed on hold again.
She hung up.
You would too.
Then she called the $900 clinic.
Her call was answered on the second ring.
Warm greeting.
Focused attention.
Genuine interest in helping.
They talked for 15–20 minutes.
She scheduled labs for both people on that call.
💳 $1,800 paid over the phone, across the country, to a stranger.
Not because of price.
Because of experience.
What the $250 Clinic
Actually
Lost (Without Knowing)
They didn’t just lose $500 in initial revenue.
They lost:
  • two long-term patients
  • future memberships
  • referrals
  • goodwill
  • and possibly their reputation
In today’s world, bad experiences ripple outward.
Any friend who asks Victoria for a recommendation will be told:
👉 “Go to the $900 clinic.”
👉 “Avoid the cheaper one.”
This couple is affluent and influential.
That goodwill damage compounds quietly—and brutally.
And if she wanted to?
She could’ve left a negative review saying:
“They don’t answer the phone. They’re rude.”
She’d be telling the truth.
“They Were Just Shopping Around” — Exactly
Yes. They were shopping around.
And here’s the part most clinics miss:
People aren’t serious until they’re treated exceptionally.
That’s true for all of us—especially when we’re spending comma money.
The decision to buy was made on the phone call.
First impressions aren’t important.
They’re everything.
The Cost of Inactivity (Read This Twice)
If you don’t implement this:
  • Poor experience → poor lead-to-patient conversion
  • Poor conversion → declining revenue
  • Declining revenue → negative reviews + bad word of mouth
  • Loss of goodwill → broken compound effect in a membership model
You will:
  • miss great reviews
  • increase bad reviews
  • lose community trust
  • leak revenue you’ll never see on a spreadsheet
You don’t want that.
It sucks.
What Happens When You DO Implement This
When experience improves:
  • Conversion goes up
  • Referrals increase
  • Reviews improve
  • Trust compounds
  • Revenue grows steadily
This costs nothing to implement.
But it can cost you everything if you don’t.
So the real question is:
Are we going to upgrade the experience or not?
The Front Desk Is Not “Admin”
There is a massive disconnect in most practices.
Employees think they’re judged on:
  • charts prepped
  • forms completed
  • busywork
But the business is judged on:
  • how people felt
  • what they say afterward
  • whether they tell others
The front desk is a customer-facing role.
Performance should be judged by one question:
👉 Are people happy—and are they talking about it?
Admin work supports customer service.
It never outranks it.
People should almost never be put on hold to “do something on the computer.”
The only acceptable reasons:
  • a true emergency
  • an ambulance
  • a fire
If a couple admin tasks don’t get done today, they can be done tomorrow.
If you miss a great interaction today, it’s gone forever.
The Mindset That Changes Everything: TFR
Train your team to operate from TFR:
  • Truth: The person called or filled out a form
  • Fact: There’s a reason they did that
  • Reality: They’re uncomfortable, worried, or in pain—and need help
When your team truly believes this:
  • selling disappears
  • responsibility takes over
The 3 Rules of Sales (Without Being Salesy)
Rule 1:
Your only job is to help the person make the best decision for them.
Sometimes that means referring them elsewhere.
Rule 2:
What’s best is usually outside their comfort zone.
Growth is uncomfortable.
Rule 3:
People will fight hard to stay comfortable.
Expect objections. That’s normal.
Your job isn’t to convince.
Your job is to guide.
What World-Class Hospitality Actually Feels Like
Not a policy. An experience.
  • Greet people by name
  • Learn the day’s schedule
  • Use your CRM (names, notes, family details)
  • Remember what people share
  • Thank people for their patience (don’t apologize)
  • Be fully present on the phone
  • Use their name
Be Proactive (This Is Huge)
In a membership practice:
  • Call or text patients before they call you
  • Check in without being asked
  • Don’t email—it’s lazy and invisible
  • Leave voicemails
  • Make it personal
People never forget how you make them feel.
Why This Matters at FirstCall DPC
We treat every interaction like it could lead to five referrals.
Because it can.
And it will—if hospitality is excellent.
This is how clinics grow 30–50% per year without ads.
Your Action This Week
  1. Pull your last 10 Google reviews
  2. Count how many mention the front desk by name
  3. If it’s zero—you just found a growth lever
Share this post with your team.
Make it clear.
World-class hospitality isn’t optional at FirstCall DPC.
It is the business.
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2 comments
Erik Petersen
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The Real Product of FirstCall DPC Isn’t Medicine
FirstCall DPC
skool.com/firstcalldpc
Direct primary care gives unlimited access to your doctor, same-day visits, clear pricing, and no insurance—medicine built on trust.
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