2 hours Ago By Isak Dinesen
FARGO — Resurgent Health in Fargo is labeling itself as a first of its kind for medical options in North Dakota. Not only do the owners say it's the first direct primary care clinic in the state, the owners are also clinicians. Physician assistant Aly Dahl and Dr.
Kristine Martens had both been thinking of moving on from traditional medicine more than a year ago, and are now the co-owners of Resurgent Health. They say they almost left because of the lack of genuine care given to patients. "It was really, 'I can't get in with my doctor' .
.. 'Why should I have a primary care doctor if I can never see them?' .
.. 'I'm always having to go to the urgent care,' " Martens recalled.
Resurgent Health celebrated its grand opening Monday in their office off 36th Avenue South, though they have been seeing patients in the area since June. Dahl and Martens say the role of a direct primary care provider is much more personal than other types of medical care. "Our main mission is to have a relationship with our patients again and sort of bring back that old-school mentality," Martens said.
Instead of being billed every visit, patients pay a monthly membership up front, which starts at $125 per month for adults older than 19, and up to $325 per month for families. That membership also allows for patients to contact Dahl or Martens as often as they want, without getting insurance involved. "They get unlimited visits with us, but in turn with that, they also get direct access to us," Dahl explained.
Resurgent Health's staff is small, as it only employs two nurses, but their client base is also small by design, as they're only accepting 400 people under their care to keep that personal connection at the forefront. "I love getting to know my patients because I think what's so important is that you know your patients not just within the clinic walls, but what happens outside the clinic, because that matters," Dahl said. Though direct primary care is new to the state, it is not new to the rest of the country, and the owners hope it can inspire others currently in the medical field and those looking for a new form of care.
"This has completely transformed our view of medicine," Dahl said. "It's brought back so much passion for medicine again and I think our patients feel that," she added. There are more than 2,000 direct primary care clinics open across the country.
.
