PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – A new primary care model launched this summer in Ponte Vedra is positioning itself as both a health-care alternative for patients and a source of jobs and services for Northeast Florida.
Able Medical Group, a direct-pay primary care practice led by CEO Peter Jensen, charges a membership fee (plans begin around $300 per month) for unlimited physician access and a deeper, prevention-focused approach to care. The practice offers in‑home lab draws, advanced biomarker testing, functional movement assessments — including VO2 max testing — and pediatric house calls, services Jensen says keep more health spending and care local.
“I see us as having the opportunity to create an environment where physicians get to be doctors again, and then deliver a really great product to the patients,” Jensen said. That approach, he adds, is attracting physicians who are frustrated with the high‑volume, insurance‑driven model and want more time with patients.
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Able plans to grow its staff in 2026 and 2027, with the addition of several physicians, a women’s health specialist and a dedicated functional movement trainer. Jensen says those hires will expand the clinic’s service offerings and create new health‑care positions in the region.
The model also has implications for employers and the broader benefits market. Jensen suggests some companies and self‑employed residents can reconfigure insurance choices — keeping catastrophic coverage while directing saved premiums toward direct‑care memberships — as part of open enrollment conversations. He also expects clearer rules next year around HSA eligibility for concierge and direct‑pay practices, which could make memberships more affordable for some patients.
Local economic development experts say boutique and preventive health-care providers can have an outsized local impact by hiring clinical and support staff, contracting with local labs and trainers, and reducing out‑of‑area referrals. Jensen argues the preventive focus — identifying risk factors years before chronic disease develops — could also reduce long‑term pressure on the region’s health system.
Able is not the only practice using a direct‑pay model, but Jensen says the group is trying to standardize care with measurable goals and a deeper intake process. For now the clinic operates from its Ponte Vedra location with plans to add sites around Jacksonville as it scales.
For employers and residents weighing benefit options during open enrollment, Jensen says the direct‑pay route offers a different trade‑off: more time and higher-touch primary care in exchange for a monthly membership fee, and the potential to reallocate insurance spending toward preventive services that stay in the community.