Manage Families and Dependents

Family relationships in DPC Pro connect patients who share a household and a billing account, while keeping each person’s clinical record separate.

DPC practices frequently serve entire families. DPC Pro lets you link family members under a shared account holder who is responsible for billing. Each family member, whether an adult spouse or a minor child, has their own patient record with independent clinical data, scheduling, and messaging.

Managing families well keeps your billing clean and your patient roster organized.

How Family Structure Works

Every family in DPC Pro is organized around an account holder: the person responsible for billing. Family members are linked to the account holder through family relationships, each with a defined relationship type and set of permissions.

The account holder can have patients linked with any of these relationships:

Relationship	Typical Use
Self	The account holder is also a patient
Spouse/Partner	Married or domestic partner
Child	Minor or adult child
Parent	Account holder’s parent
Sibling	Account holder’s sibling
Grandparent	Account holder’s grandparent
Grandchild	Account holder’s grandchild
Legal Guardian	Non-biological guardian relationship
Other	Any other family or household relationship

Each family member has their own patient record with separate clinical data, visit history, and messaging. Billing is handled at the account holder level.

Create a Family Group

A family group is created implicitly when you add patients linked to the same account holder. There is no separate “create family” step.

1. Register an account holder if one does not already exist.
2. Add the first patient linked to that account holder with relationship set to Self (if the account holder is also a patient).
3. Add additional patients linked to the same account holder with the appropriate relationship type.

All patients sharing the same account holder form a family group. The account holder’s profile shows all linked patients.

Tip

When adding a family member, navigate to the account holder’s profile first, then select the option to add a patient. The billing account is pre-filled, saving you a step.

Add a Dependent to a Family

To add a family member (child, spouse, parent, or other dependent):

1. Navigate to Patients → Add Patient.
2. Select or confirm the Billing Account (the family’s account holder).
3. Enter the dependent’s First Name, Last Name, and Date of Birth.
4. Select the correct Relationship to the account holder (for example, Child, Spouse/Partner).
5. Select the Practice where the dependent will be enrolled.
6. Optionally assign a Primary Provider.
7. Select Create Patient.

DPC Pro creates the patient record and establishes the family relationship. The new patient:

• Receives their own MRN at the selected practice
• Gets linked to the family’s account holder for billing
• Can be independently scheduled, messaged, and documented
• Has their own clinical record separate from other family members

Family relationship permissions

When a family relationship is created, the following permissions are set by default:

Permission	Default	Description
Can view records	Yes	Account holder can view the dependent’s record
Can schedule	Yes	Account holder can schedule visits for the dependent
Can consent	Yes	Account holder can provide consent for the dependent
Can manage profile	Yes	Account holder can edit the dependent’s profile
Emergency contact	No	Whether this relationship is an emergency contact
Authorized representative	No	Whether this person is a legal authorized representative

Note

These permissions are managed internally by your practice. Contact support if you need to adjust permissions for specific family relationships.

Remove a Dependent

Removing a dependent unlinks them from the family’s account holder. It does not delete their patient record or clinical history.

To change a patient’s account holder (for example, when a dependent transitions to their own account), use the transfer process.

Billing Impact

If the dependent is covered under a family membership, removing them from the family affects the membership’s covered patient count and may change the billing amount. Update the membership plan after removing a dependent. See Membership Status and Coverage.

Navigate Between Family Members

Family members are accessible from the account holder’s profile:

1. Navigate to Customers and open the account holder’s profile.
2. View the list of linked patients (family members) on the profile page.
3. Select any patient name to navigate to their individual patient record.

From a patient’s record, you can navigate to the account holder by selecting the Billing Account link in the Contact Information section. From the account holder’s profile, you can access all family members.

For Practice Managers

The account holder list can be filtered by membership status. Use the Active, Past Due, and No Membership tabs to identify families that need attention.

Special Scenarios

Divorced or separated parents with shared custody

When separated parents share custody of a child:

1. Determine which parent is the primary account holder responsible for billing.
2. Add the child as a patient linked to the primary account holder.
3. If the other parent needs portal access or should receive communications, register them as a separate account holder and use the patient transfer process if billing responsibility changes.

Adult children transitioning to their own membership

When a dependent turns 18 or otherwise needs their own billing account:

1. Register a new account holder for the adult child using their own email and contact information.
2. Transfer the patient from the parent’s account to their new account. Select Patient Request or Age of Majority as the transfer reason.
3. Enroll the patient in their own membership plan.

DPC Pro defines adult age as 18 by default (configurable per membership plan). When a patient’s age crosses the adult threshold, your team should review whether they need to transition to an individual membership.

Guardians who are not biological parents

Legal guardians can serve as account holders:

1. Register the guardian as an account holder.
2. Add the child patient linked to the guardian’s account.
3. Select Legal Guardian as the relationship type.

The Legal Guardian relationship type allows staff to clearly distinguish biological parents from other guardians in the patient record.

Multiple family members at different practices

If your organization has multiple practices, each family member can be enrolled at different practices independently. The account holder’s billing account spans the organization, but each patient’s practice enrollment is managed separately. See the Practice Enrollments section of the patient record.

---

Related Pages

• Add a New Patient
• Patient Records Overview
• Account Holders vs. Patients
• Membership Status and Coverage
• Patient Communication Preferences
• Transfer or Archive Patients

Need Help?

If you run into issues managing families, reach out to the DPC Pro support team at [email protected] or visit the troubleshooting guide.