Family Memberships and Dependents
Family memberships let one account holder cover multiple family members under a single billing relationship.
Many DPC practices offer family pricing where a parent or guardian pays for their own membership and the memberships of dependents: children, a spouse, or other household members. DPC Pro supports this through family memberships, where one account holder is responsible for billing while each family member maintains their own patient record.
This page covers how to create a family membership, add dependents to an existing account, and manage the billing relationship between account holders and their family members. Each dependent gets a full patient record with their own clinical history, scheduling, and messaging.
Family memberships are especially common in DPC practices that serve pediatric patients alongside adults. Pricing can differ per dependent based on age or plan tier.
Prerequisites
Section titled “Prerequisites”- A membership plan configured with family-tier pricing (couple and/or family rates)
- The account holder must have a patient record in DPC Pro
- All family members must have patient records linked to the same account holder (see Managing Families for how to link family members)
- Your practice must have payment processing set up
Create a Family Membership
Section titled “Create a Family Membership”- Navigate to Billing → Memberships.
- Select Create Membership.
- Choose the Account Holder: this is the person responsible for all billing on the family membership.
- Select a Membership Plan that includes family-tier pricing.
- Choose the Billing Interval (monthly or annual).
- Select Save.
DPC Pro creates the membership and automatically adds the account holder as a covered family member with the “Self” relationship. The initial pricing uses the single-member tier.
Add family members at enrollment
Section titled “Add family members at enrollment”After creating the membership, add family members to it immediately:
- From the membership detail page, select Add Member.
- Choose the patient to add from the dropdown. Only patients linked to the same account holder and not already covered are shown.
- Select the Relationship: Spouse/Partner, Child, Parent, or Other Dependent.
- Select Add.
DPC Pro recalculates the membership price based on the updated family composition. The pricing tier adjusts automatically:
| Family composition | Pricing tier used |
|---|---|
| 1 member | Single |
| 2 adults | Couple |
| 3+ members (any mix of adults and children) | Family |
Additional member surcharges apply when the family exceeds the plan’s included adult or child count.
Add Dependents
Section titled “Add Dependents”To add a family member to an existing membership:
- Navigate to the membership detail page.
- Select Add Member.
- Choose the patient from the dropdown.
- Select their Relationship to the account holder:
- Spouse/Partner
- Child
- Parent
- Other Dependent
- Select Add.
DPC Pro updates the family composition counts and recalculates pricing. You will see the new price displayed after the member is added.
How age affects pricing
Section titled “How age affects pricing”DPC Pro uses the plan’s age definitions to classify each member:
- Members at or above the Adult Age (default: 18) count as adults
- Members at or below the Child Age Max (default: 17) count as children
When a child crosses the adult age threshold, the membership pricing recalculates to reflect the change in adult/child composition.
Remove a Dependent
Section titled “Remove a Dependent”- Navigate to the membership detail page.
- Find the covered family member you want to remove in the member list.
- Select Remove next to their name.
- Confirm the removal.
DPC Pro sets the coverage end date to today and marks the member as inactive. The family composition counts update automatically, and the membership price is recalculated.
The removed member’s patient record, clinical history, and visit notes are preserved. Only their coverage under this membership ends.
Billing for Family Plans
Section titled “Billing for Family Plans”How family pricing works
Section titled “How family pricing works”Family membership pricing is determined by three factors:
- Pricing tier: based on the number and type of members (single, couple, or family)
- Included members: the plan defines how many adults and children are included at the base price
- Additional member surcharges: per-adult and per-child prices for members beyond the included count
Example: A plan includes 2 adults and 2 children at the family rate of $200/month, with a $50/month surcharge per additional adult and $25/month per additional child. A family of 2 adults and 3 children would pay $200 + $25 = $225/month.
Single invoice
Section titled “Single invoice”The account holder receives one invoice for the entire family. Individual family members do not receive separate invoices. The invoice reflects the total family price, including any additional member surcharges.
Price recalculation
Section titled “Price recalculation”The membership price recalculates when:
- A family member is added
- A family member is removed
- A family member’s age crosses the adult/child threshold
Price changes from adding or removing members are reflected in the next billing cycle. The updated price is stored on the membership and shown on the detail page.
Account Holder Responsibilities
Section titled “Account Holder Responsibilities”The account holder is the central point for all billing and account management on a family membership.
What the account holder controls
Section titled “What the account holder controls”- Payment methods: the account holder’s wallet is used for all recurring charges
- Invoices and receipts: all billing communications go to the account holder’s email
- Family management: if the account holder has the “can manage family” permission enabled, they can request changes to family composition through the patient portal
Account holder permissions
Section titled “Account holder permissions”Two permissions control what the account holder can do:
| Permission | Default | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Can manage family | Enabled | Add/remove family members through the patient portal |
| Can manage payments | Enabled | Update payment methods and view billing history |
You can adjust these permissions from the account holder’s profile in the Customers section.
Related Pages
Section titled “Related Pages”- Create and Manage Membership Plans
- Individual Memberships
- Employer Group Plans
- Add-On Charges
- Payment Processing and Receipts
- Handle Failed Payments
- Cancellations and Membership Changes
- Billing Reports and Revenue Visibility
Need Help?
Section titled “Need Help?”If you run into issues with family memberships, reach out to the DPC Pro support team at [email protected] or visit the troubleshooting guide.