What happens when a pharmacist becomes part of a direct primary care (DPC) clinic?

In this episode of Health Literacy IRL, I sit down with Ellen Jones, PharmD, a pharmacist and faculty member who practices inside a DPC clinic in Arkansas. We dig into how the direct primary care model — and pharmacist-led services — can transform health literacy, medication management, and the patient experience.

In this episode, we cover:

• What direct primary care (DPC) is and how it differs from concierge medicine
• How Ellen built a role as a pharmacist in a DPC clinic while serving as pharmacy faculty
• The day-to-day responsibilities of a DPC pharmacist
• Health literacy-friendly characteristics of the the DPC model (e.g., longer visits, unlimited follow-ups, text access)
• Why time, emotions, and readiness to learn are essential for effective patient education
• The impact of administrative “bloat” on traditional primary care — and what changes when you step outside that system
• Creative ways pharmacists and DPC clinicians can partner, even when budgets are tight

Connect with Us

Host – Megan Freeland, PharmD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-n-freeland/

Guest – Ellen Jones, PharmD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenjonespharmd/

If this episode helped you understand direct primary care, pharmacist roles in primary care, or health literacy better, hit Subscribe, give the video a thumbs up, and share it with a pharmacist, clinician, or health leader who needs to hear this.