Local Physician Helps Redefine Primary Care
As Ashley Bainbridge, D. O., faced her 40th birthday, she made a promise to herself.
The next decade of practicing medicine would look a bit different for her and her patients.
Bainbridge began learning about lifestyle medicine— a type of medicine that utilizes evidence-based lifestyle interventions to prevent, treat and reverse chronic diseases— and direct primary care, a membership-based type of practice that does not accept insurance.
“ I wanted to practice evidence-based medicine within a different delivery model,” Bainbridge says.“ I wanted more time with the patient. As an osteopathic doctor, I always look at and treat the entire person. I try to figure out root causes instead of just writing a prescription.”
Stepping outside of the insurance-based model was risky. Bainbridge wasn’ t aware of any direct primary care practices closer than Pittsburgh, PA, so the Morgantown community was not familiar with the model.
Bainbridge began working on launching her practice, PuraVita Direct Primary Care. She created a membership-based model in which patients pay a monthly fee for care and access to reduced-cost prescriptions and lab services.
On December 1, 2022, Bainbridge took a leap of faith, opening her doors with no patients.
Diane Tarantini of Morgantown was the first patient to walk through the door.
PHOTO BY ANTHONY SPARKS
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