After her century-old Duluth clinic was closed with only 36 days notice, Dr. Nyasha Spears sued her hospital system over her non-compete, and won a judge's ruling that physician non-competes are against the public interest.

The claim that Direct Primary Care only works in affluent city neighborhoods does not survive contact with the map. This guide walks through rural, urban, suburban and employer sponsored DPC, answers the equity question honestly, and explains the 2026 HSA change that lets patients pay membership fees with pre tax dollars.

Before Direct Primary Care had a name, Dr. Clint Flanagan was selling monthly membership medicine in Longmont, Colorado for $99 a month. He opened his own clinic 15.1 miles from a former employer to clear a non-compete, met Dr. Garrison Bliss over a long dinner in Denver, and grew Nextera Healthcare into more than 100 affiliated clinics.