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This is a common question we get all the time here are a few of the benefits.
Are you tired of being another number? Herded through like cattle? Or do you want a doctor who has the time to listen? That’s why our model works. It’s between YOU and Dr. Silakoski. No middlemen.
If you had a problem right now could you text your doctor and get a quick response? You can with Dr. Jenna at North Idaho Direct Primary Care.
We started converting our practice to Direct Primary Care (DPC ) a long time ago because we saw the benefit to having a better relationship with our patients. It was fully converted in 2014, making us the oldest DPC provider in northern Idaho.
Dr. Silakoski is a board-certified Family Medicine physician. She served over a decade in the United States Army as a physician at some of the largest military facilities in the world, working to keep our Soldiers and their families healthy and ready to answer the call.
Our prices are transparent and designed to be affordable based on age, not on prior medical history. One fee covers all services, and there are no copays or hidden charges.
Our patients reap the benefits of our quality and affordable lab services through LabCorp. We are contracted with LabCorp to provide our patients with diagnostic services at a significantly discounted rate to help maintain their healthy lifestyles.
Dr. Silakoski can be contacted directly via phone, text, or email and provides medical services for after hours as well as weekend urgent care matters that cannot wait.
For patient convenience, appointments within 24 hours are always available. Visits are never rushed, giving you adequate time to relate all of your medical concerns and have them addressed.
We provide all care for both routine and urgent matters. Offices that employ numerous providers cannot offer this superior level of care as the “fill in” provider (who is often times a nurse practitioner or physician assistant) frequently does not know the patient’s medical history as well as the patient’s own primary care provider.
Our office staff is professional, knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. Because our practice is small, you will always talk to someone you know. No large, impersonal, production-based office here! Our small size allows us to bring the “family” back into family practice.
All patients enrolled in Direct Primary Care will have access to professional counseling services provided by Dr. Silakoski for concerns including (but not limited to) anxiety, depression, bereavement, couples counseling, and boundary counseling. Dr. Silakoski also routinely provides social advocacy services for veterans, social security disability applicants, those seeking end of life document preparation, elders in need of palliative care counseling, and more. All sessions offer discreet and empathetic support and are completely confidential.
Wellness visits to maintain health are easier to justify as the membership fee covers these type of services. Dr. Silakoski has a special interest in preventative care, which has been shown in multiple studies to dramatically extend the life of patients who practice wellness strategies.
Good question. “Sil-uh-kos-key.”
Nope! The initial registration and membership fee covers all services that Dr. Silakoski provides, including any supplies and medication used at the time of the visit.
Members have Dr. Silakoski cell number and email address to contact them for any urgent care needs that cannot wait for a regular office visit.
No. Under the Idaho Direct Primary Care Act, effective July 1, 2015, neither the physician nor the patient may submit a bill for payment of services provided by a Direct Primary Care practice. However, there is active lobbying for allowance of payment through a Health Savings Account (HSA).
While Dr. Silakoski is on vacation, medical care will need to be obtained at another facility. During vacation weekdays, the office will be staffed to help assist patients with their medical questions and prescription refills. On these days, Dr. Silakoski will be in touch with the office staff, so any question will be answered within one business day.
Yes, we do! Please contact us for the details!
Yes. To provide superior service and care within the practice, there is a limit. A waiting list for interested patients will be set up once the practice is full, and these patients will be contacted once an opening is available.
No. It is important to understand that direct primary care is not a substitute for medical insurance. It will not exempt you from any monetary fine if you do not carry health insurance. However, you may still sign a direct primary care contract with Dr. Silakoski, even if you choose not to purchase insurance.
The following is a list of the services that are not included under our direct primary care model:
Services provided by other practitioners, such as a sub-specialist to whom the patient is referred.
Outpatient medication purchased at a pharmacy or through our office as well as supplies we cannot provide in the course of treatment during a patient visit.
Hospital care, including inpatient admission, rounds, and discharge.
Imaging studies (i.e. x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, etc.)
Lab studies done outside the office.
Any services rendered by other facilities or by another provider, in the rare event that Dr. Silakoski is unavailable.
Newborn circumcisions.
Certain ancillary services (such as home health or Hospice orders for Medicare patients), as these may be limited by the patient’s insurance policy.
Now, with all that said, it is important to understand that we have a number of strategies in place designed to help patients save money when she cannot provide a particular service in-house (such as lab work or imaging services). Dr. Silakoski and her staff are also skilled at obtaining name-brand prescriptions free of charge for those patients who need a certain medication and who financially qualify.
Primary care includes but is not limited to: health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance (examples include high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, obesity, and more), counseling (we have a counselor on staff that is INCLUDED with your membership) patient education, abd diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in a variety of health care settings (e.g., office, inpatient, critical care, long-term care, home care, day care, etc.).
Women’s health includes but is not limited to: PAP smears, mammogram referrals, limited hormone management, breast diseases including some breast feeding issues, birth control, sexually transmitted infections, and more.
Pediatric and newborn care includes but is not limited to: well child visits, sports physicals, urgent care matters including ear infections, strep throat, rashes, etc.
Urgent care needs are addressed during business hours and include everything from Acne to Zoster (shingles), Acute ear infections to Zoonotic diseases, and everything in between.”