PEDIATRIC DIRECT PRIMARY CARE GRAND RAPIDS, MI
How Direct Primary Care works, and why it matters
Direct Primary Care is a simple idea: pay a flat monthly fee, and your child's doctor — a pediatrician in Grand Rapids — is available when you need her. No copays. No waiting weeks for an appointment. No insurance bureaucracy. Just a kids doctor who knows your child and picks up the phone.
<300
Small patient panel
$0
Copays per visit for members
1 Doctor
Dr. Sebastian, every time
7 days
Call/text every day of the week
THE MODEL
Three things. That's it.
DPC isn't complicated. It's actually the simplest healthcare model that exists.
01.
You pay a monthly membership
A flat monthly fee based on your child's age. No copays, no deductibles, no surprise bills for primary care services. See the membership page for a full list of what's included and what isn't.
02.
You get direct access to your doctor
Dr. Sebastian's phone line. Message her at 8pm with a question about a rash. Call her on a Saturday about a fever. Schedule same-day when your child wakes up sick. Direct access — when you reach out, you hear back from her.
03.
Keep insurance for everything else
DPC replaces your primary care — not your entire insurance plan. You'll still want insurance for hospitals, specialist visits, surgeries, imaging, and ER trips. Many families pair DPC with a high-deductible plan to lower their total healthcare spend.
WHAT CHANGES
What DPC feels like
The difference isn't just financial. It's the experience of having a doctor with the time and structure to focus on your child.
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Traditional practice economics create pressure to see more patients per day — and that shapes how visits feel. DPC removes that pressure. Dr. Sebastian's income comes from her members, not her visit count. Appointments have room to breathe.
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Her direct line — phone, text, or video. Quick questions get quick answers, without a trip to the office.
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When you can text your doctor at 9pm on a Sunday, you don't need to drive to urgent care for a question. Direct Primary Care can help reduce unnecessary urgent care and emergency room visits by giving families timely access to their pediatrician when concerns arise.
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With a carefully managed panel — compared to 2,000 in a typical practice — Dr. Sebastian knows your child's history, your family's concerns, and your parenting style.
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Basic in-office testing is included. When labs need to go out, we pass our discounted rate directly to you — typically a fraction of what insurance would bill.
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Newborn home visits for Warm Mitten families. Telehealth when you don't need to come in. Dr. Sebastian meets your family where it makes sense.
THE VALUE
Is DPC right for your family?
For many families, a DPC membership is an additional expense. Whether it's worth it depends on what you're looking for. Here's an honest side-by-side.
Copays & surprise bills
Your doctor
Text, video & phone visits
Same or next-day sick visits
Door-to-Doctor
After-hours access
Unhurried visits for complex concerns
Patient panel size
Vaccines
Mitten Pediatrics Direct Primary Care
Never
Dr. Sebastian, every time
Included
Yes
Immediate
Dr. Sebastian directly
Yes
Small, by design
Family-centered decision-making
Traditional Pediatric Care
Typically
Varies by availability
Rarely
Sometimes
20+ minutes
On-call coverage
Varies by practice
Often 1,500–2,000+
One-size-fits-all guidance
The honest bottom line: DPC is about paying for care that works for you. Predictable costs, direct access, and a doctor who knows your child. We're happy to talk through your specific situation at a free meet & greet.
What about your insurance plan?
We don't bill insurance for membership services. Here's how DPC fits with common plan types.
Regardless of plan type, keep health insurance for hospitalizations, specialist visits, emergency care, and imaging. DPC replaces the need to use insurance for everyday primary care — it doesn't replace insurance.
High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)
A natural pairing — your HDHP covers hospitalizations, specialists, and emergencies, while your DPC membership handles primary care.
✓ WORKS WELL WITH DPC
PPO Plans
PPOs allow out-of-network providers. Your DPC covers primary care; your PPO covers everything else. Some PPOs may reimburse a portion of out-of-network primary care — check with your insurer.
✓ WORKS WELL WITH DPC
Health Sharing Plans
Designed for catastrophic and specialist costs, health share plans pair well with DPC. Many DPC families use this combination.
WORTH REVIEWING
HMO Plans
If you have an HMO, referrals, lab orders, and imaging may need to route through an in-network provider for insurance to cover them — check with your insurer.
IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND
Built for Grand Rapids families
West Michigan families tend to be larger, more active, and more community-oriented than the national average. They're also navigating a healthcare landscape where costs are rising and finding a same-day pediatrician in Grand Rapids who you can text directly is increasingly rare.
Mitten Pediatrics & Lactation is located in Cascade Township and serves families throughout the Grand Rapids metro — including Ada, Forest Hills, East Grand Rapids, and Kentwood. We're built for how Grand Rapids families actually live, from snowy-day sick calls to last-minute sports physicals before the season starts.
One of Michigan's youngest, fastest-growing counties
Kent County's median age is among the lowest in Michigan — a young, family-oriented community, and a natural home for a practice built around children.
Rising healthcare costs in Michigan
Average family healthcare spend has increased over 20% in the last four years. DPC offers a predictable alternative.
Cascade Township — easy access for West Michigan families
Conveniently located for families across the Grand Rapids metro area.
Still have questions?
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It's a fair question. Concierge medicine typically charges $200–$500/month on top of insurance and often caters to adults. DPC is different — it's designed to replace the cost of using insurance for primary care, not add to it. At $100–$195/month per child, our membership costs less per month than many families spend on a gym membership or a streaming bundle. And for families with multiple children, our sibling discounts bring the per-child cost down further.
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Call 911 for emergencies. Your health insurance covers hospitalizations and ER visits — that's exactly what it's designed for. What DPC does is reduce the situations where you feel you have to go to the ER because you can't reach your pediatrician. Dr. Sebastian is available by text or phone, which means a lot of "should I take them to the ER?" questions get answered before you have to make that trip.
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No — and we'd recommend keeping it. Health insurance covers the things DPC doesn't: hospitalizations, specialist visits, imaging, surgeries, and emergency care. What many families do is reassess their plan at the next open enrollment and switch to a lower-premium, higher-deductible plan, since they're no longer relying on insurance for everyday primary care visits.
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Yes — but it's worth understanding what that means. HMO plans typically require in-network providers and won't reimburse out-of-network primary care. So if you have an HMO, you'd be paying your DPC membership in addition to your existing plan. Some families find the access and experience more than justifies that — others prefer to wait until open enrollment to switch to a PPO or HDHP. We're happy to talk through your specific situation at a free meet & greet, no pressure.
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Dr. Sebastian will communicate clearly about vacation or planned time away, and will have coverage arrangements in place. She'll give you advance notice and ensure you know who to contact. For true emergencies when no DPC coverage is available, your health insurance and the ER are always there.
Start with a free conversation
READY TO SEE IF DPC IS RIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY?
A 20-minute meet & greet with Dr. Sebastian — no commitment, no pressure. Ask her anything. She'll give you a straight answer.