Hayden resident Brandon Lehman said the Love Wellness Ltd. subscription medical model of direct primary care that includes unlimited visits for a monthly membership fee is a good fit for his needs and is “efficient and effective.”

Lehman is one of the patients utilizing the integrative and holistic health care model offered by Certified Family Nurse Practitioner Alina Love-Moore at Love Wellness Ltd. The practitioner moved her successful direct primary care business from Elizabeth, Colorado, to open two new, small clinics earlier this year on Acre Lane in northwest Steamboat Springs and in the historic Solandt hospital building in Hayden.

“Direct primary care is a membership-based model that removes insurance from routine care so patients get more access, more time and more transparency,” Love-Moore said, noting her clinic appointments are generally 30 minutes or longer as needed.

Lehman said he enjoys Love-Moore’s proactive approach versus reactive care and “not pushing prescriptions,” which meets his needs “more so than traditional doctors.”

“Having her to sit down and talk about things and work in a proactive way is nice for what I was looking for,” Lehman said.

As a sole provider using a less common medical practice model, Love-Moore said the goal of her service with no co-pays or deductibles and no processing of insurance claims is to cap her patient load at 400. She works to be accessible on the same or next day and can answer timely questions via HIPPA-protected telehealth, phone or text messaging communication options.

Her regular office hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday with the weeks split between the Hayden and Steamboat clinics. Although she does not offer obstetrics care, Love-Moore has been working with new moms who have lots of infant care questions that may come up in the evenings.

“Because the practice isn’t built around insurance paperwork, costs are more transparent and often lower,” Love-Moore said. “Many common visits, procedures and even medications are included in the membership, and labs and imaging are offered at deeply discounted cash prices.”

Gabriel Elkinton, another Hayden resident and patient, said he appreciates Love-Moore’s approach, which emphasizes “holistic health care” and “trying to get to the root of the problem.”

Elkinton said the nurse practitioner discussed blood work results with him and suggested he start with an elimination diet that helped to identify some medical concerns.

“The whole health approach was what I was very thankful for,” Elkinton said. “After our first meet and greet, I’ve been really pleased with the care that I’ve been given.”

The nurse practitioner, who has 13 years of medical experience, started her second-life career after earning a bachelor’s degree in international business from the University of Colorado Denver in 1998.

Love-Moore said watching her brother go through cancer treatments was the impetus for her move into medicine. She earned an associate’s degree and then a bachelor’s degree in nursing in Colorado. Then she finished her master of science degree in nursing and received family nurse practitioner certification in 2017.

She spent years working in a variety of health care venues from hospice to a rural family clinic to veteran’s care in settings ranging from senior living facilities to county jails. In 2021, Love-Moore opened a small direct primary care office in Elizabeth to care for patients across the lifespan in a micro-practice specializing in wellness through diet and lifestyle.

Love-Moore believes the direct primary care model works well in communities such as Steamboat and Hayden, “where access to care can be limited and people value convenience, relationships and straightforward pricing.”

Love-Moore lived in Oak Creek in the 1990s and recently she moved back to the Yampa Valley with her husband of 18 months, Charlie Moore. The couple live north of Hayden where Moore is a cattle and hog rancher, while also helping with marketing for the clinic.

Love-Moore said approximately one-third of her patients have no insurance, one-third have a high-deductible plan and one-third participate in a medical-sharing community program. Patients often pair her personalized service for day-to-day health care needs with a high-deductible insurance plan for larger health emergencies.

While her new locations are gaining patients, Love is waiving a $150 initial sign-up fee. Her monthly subscription rates are $95 for adults, $25 per for children through age 18 living at home or $225 for a whole family in the same household. More information is at LoveWellnessLtd.com.

Love-Moore is offering a free community talk about how the direct primary care model can work for patients. The event is set for 6 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Steamboat Springs Community Center, with questions or RSVP at alove@lovewellnessltd.com.

Sandy Gress, a former patient in Elizabeth, said she, her children and a now a grandchild have seen Love-Moore for care.

“We feel very fortunate, very blessed to have found her,” Gress said. “She’s excellent at what she does. She works hard to not just fix the symptoms but to look for causes, and that’s highly appreciated.”

“We’re kind of sad to see her leave,” Gress said. “I know it’s good for your community.”