Rooted Direct Primary Care Prepares to Open in Newberg in 2026

NEWBERG, Ore. — Dr. Alisa Awtry brings up the idea of moral injury when she discusses her new local venture, Rooted Direct Primary Care. She would see people coming in for care, only to unknowingly be billed for small tasks by hospital administrators, or experience long delays for care due to inefficiencies of an external call center. 

It’s a big part of why Dr. Awtry is opening Rooted Direct Primary Care in downtown Newberg at 106 N. Howard St. in January 2026. She sees confusion and costly redundancies in the current health care system and wants to help patients make sense of a system that can be a matter of life and death.

Awtry moved to Newberg with her husband and three children in 2022 from Santa Rosa, California, after her husband accepted a position as pastor at Chehalem Valley Presbyterian Church.

“We were really settled in Santa Rosa. We had just purchased a house and felt there wouldn’t ever be a reason to leave—and any reason would have to be jaw-dropping,” Awtry said. “But we did say if we were to move anywhere, it would be to Newberg. And I’m so glad we did—it solved so many problems we didn’t know we had.”

It’s a point she also connects to her profession. As a family doctor, Awtry sees unnecessary redundancies in the current medical system that lead to higher medical bills and confusion about how to receive care. However, she said, most people don’t realize there was once another way to receive basic medical care.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, the direct primary care model gives family physicians an alternative to traditional primary care billed through insurance or large hospital networks. Direct primary care providers, often called DPCs, typically charge patients a monthly, quarterly, or annual fee that covers most primary care services, including clinical and lab work, consultations, care coordination, and comprehensive care management.

“It’s totally a foreign concept to people,” Awtry said. “I told a friend recently about what I was planning, and she said, ‘This is brilliant and so new! And by so new, I mean so old!’ We forget that this is what our parents and grandparents had for medical care. We’re so far away from it now.”

The business model, Awtry said, eliminates the middlemen who distract doctors from providing care — call centers that route messages, insurance companies that determine which tests can be ordered, and corporate systems that decide which doctor a patient can see.

“When you send a message, I see it directly. When you call, I’m the one who answers,” she said. “The person providing your health care is the one who actually knows you, not someone pulling up your chart for the first time. It makes care that much better.”

Direct primary care is gaining traction, Awtry said, but it remains relatively new in the region, with the nearest offices located in Tualatin. One challenge, she added, is that medical education rarely includes business training that could help doctors open their own practices.

“When you go through medical training, at least when I did, you’re not taught anything about business,” she said. “You’re taught that the business work is for administrators and that you need to sell your soul to ‘the man’ because that work is too complicated. And yet, the same skills that allowed me to learn medicine — to be a self-starter and teach myself — I can also use to learn business.”

Awtry said her experience, both personally and professionally, motivated her to find another path.

She described a visit to a dermatologist who offered to remove a few spots, only for her to receive a $1,600 bill months later.

“In a DPC model, you would know before I do that biopsy that the biopsy is free, and what comes after would be a clear number of what will come due before making that decision,” she said.

But more than cost, Awtry raised the issue of moral injury.

“I don’t know if the term is used outside of medicine, but there is real moral injury in knowing that your patient just asked that question about knee pain and they didn’t realize it, but now they’re probably going to get a $400 bill. It doesn’t feel good,” she said. “For a lot of our patients, are they going to be able to pay their rent? Are they going to be able to provide for their families? It’s not a good way to make a living.”

According to its website, Rooted DPC plans to charge $75 per month for children 17 and younger, $125 per month for adults 18 and older, and $300 per month for family care. Those fees include all primary care and basic treatments, as well as access to services negotiated at cash prices and wholesale prescription drugs.

Awtry said a Rooted DPC membership is not intended to replace health insurance — in fact, Rooted DPC does not accept insurance — but instead to provide an option for more personal care. She recommends patients maintain high-deductible insurance plans to cover emergencies and services outside of primary care.

“The best way to think about me is the quarterback of the medical care team,” Awtry said. “I’m the first point of contact for any concern. Do you have knee pain? I can help figure out what you actually need. Do you need imaging? I can get you the cash price for that. Or do you need to see an orthopedic surgeon or physical therapist? I can refer you.”

Rooted DPC will begin accepting new patients in January 2026 for both individuals and small businesses seeking a healthcare solution for their employees.

In the meantime, interested patients can fill out a form on the website to schedule a free introductory consultation. If both parties agree, Awtry will send an enrollment form with no enrollment fee, and memberships will continue month-to-month with a 30-day cancellation policy.

Learn more about Awtry and how Rooted DPC fits into the healthcare ecosystem at its website.