Can an Employee Schedule a DPC Appointment Before the Plan Effective Date?

Yes. In general, employees should start scheduling DPC appointments after they’ve received their ID cards. At that point, DPC practices will typically have access to the list of members they’ll be working with, which makes scheduling easier and avoids confusion.

However, there may be some delays as DPC practices load member information into their systems. If this happens, employees may need to wait briefly before the DPC can confirm or schedule the appointment.

Appointments can still be booked in advance for dates after the plan’s effective date, which is especially useful for new patient onboarding visits.

Keep in mind that DPC services themselves can only be used starting on the plan’s effective date.