<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0evLp1_1EluvTyP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0evLp1_1EluvTyP00" width="1200" height="600" >DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - Just days before a Duluth clinic with a unique mission was set to welcome its first patients last March, a basement fire put that brand new facility on hold.On March 3rd, firefighters rushed to 4th Street and 6th Avenue East in Duluth’s Hillside neighborhood after reports of a structure fire. Crews quickly extinguished the flames on the lower level.While no one was injured, heavy smoke destroyed all of Palisade Direct Primary Care’s brand-new medical equipment right before the clinic’s grand opening.On Tuesday, that setback turned into a comeback, as the medical clinic opened their doors at a brand-new location on East Superior Street.Six months after that devastating fire, this Dr. Jay Allen is reopening his clinic space with a direct-care model designed to bypass insurance headaches and make healthcare affordable again.“So, people are used to going to the doctor and getting a $400, $500, $600 bill,” said Dr. Allen.It’s a steep barrier Dr. Allen says he has watched patients face for years: $180 lab bills that actually cost just $4, and $10,000 deductibles that keep people from getting the care they need.“I’ve heard a lot from people who have not had a doctor or who have not had health insurance at all over the past few years,” said Dr. Allen.He says Palisade Direct Primary Care hopes to bridge that gap, by offering a monthly membership fee-based care plan with unlimited access to appointments.“If you come in five times a month, if you come in one time a month, you pay the same. You don’t pay for any visits,” said Dr. Allen.Under this Direct Primary Care model, patients pay that monthly fee, which ranges from $50-$300 depending on family size, for unlimited access to appointments, and direct, 24/7 communication with their doctor. It’s a style of care that some of his patients followed him here specifically to keep.Aaron Johnson who has been a patient of Dr. Allen’s for about 10 years followed him to Palisade for his services. Johnson said, “being able to text him and say, ‘hey Jay I need this thing can you get it for me?’ and it’s done and I don’t have to fight the bureaucracy to get the things done that need to get done.”Dr. Allen says he often gets the same question: “they’re like, what’s the catch? There really seems to be a catch to this. And it’s like, no, that’s it. Like, you have my number. You can call me whenever there’s a problem,” said Dr. Allen.For patients, even something as simple as the homey facility is a gamechanger.“Both Aspirus and Essentia, they do their best to create that kind of environment, but this is on a whole other level,” said Johnson.And the response has been huge.“I’ve been signing people up like crazy. A lot of people are really excited to finally have a model like this in Duluth,” said Dr. Allen.Patients say it’s a massive shift in how they approach healthcare.“Now, we go to the doctor for truly preventative things to make sure that we’re healthy, rather than waiting until it’s an extreme,” said Johnson. They are hoping to eventually have in house x-ray and continue to grow the practice. </div></body>

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DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - Just days before a Duluth clinic with a unique mission was set to welcome its first patients last March, a basement fire put that brand new facility on hold. On March 3rd, firefighters rushed to 4th Street and 6th Avenue East in Duluth’s Hillside...

Duluth clinic destroyed by fire reopens with direct care model

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DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - Just days before a Duluth clinic with a unique mission was set to welcome its first patients last March, a basement fir

Duluth clinic destroyed by fire reopens with direct care model

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