I had the pleasure of spending the morning photographing and getting to know the physicians that are Direct Care Physicians of Pittsburgh. Let me tell you, they are a pretty amazing group of women! These four women Dr. Natalie Gentile, Dr. Kirsten Lin, Dr. Rebecca Byard and Dr. Ashley Loughner strive to give each patient a one on one experience that builds continuity of care and a solid doctor/patient relationship. DCPP practice differs from traditional medical care in that it focuses on spending QUALITY time with their patients. They offer basic medical care, but what sets them apart is their desire to educate patients on preventative care. They also offer lifestyle management and health coaching just to name a few. Their warmth and enthusiasm shows all around. The comfort of the office makes you want to just sit there all day and hang out (or maybe that's just me because the furniture was so comfy)!

As I learned about these physicians, their work and their passions, I though it might be fun to dig a little deeper about who they are and why they do what they do. They are big supporters of communitywide wellness and promotion of well being!

Dr. Natalie Gentile

Let me first introduce Dr. Natalie Gentile! In addition to her career as a Direct Care Physician of Pittsburgh, she also owns and operates Rebel Wellness from her Shadyside medical building. This is an all encompassing lifestyle medicine technique that combines fitness, mindfulness and nutrition. You can click on the link below to see what she is offering!

Where are you from? Where did you get your education? What keeps you in Pittsburgh? Name your favorite thing about our city.

I’m from Pittsburgh, went to Mt. Lebanon High School, St. Vincent College, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Mayo Clinic for family medicine residency. I love that Pittsburgh feels like a small town with the sense of community, support system within the small business community, and that I get to see one of the rivers on my commute everyday, so beautiful!

What type of medicine were you practicing when you decided to start your own practice? Can you discuss the turning point that really solidified you decision to do direct care?

I’ve always been a family medicine physician and lifestyle medicine (board certified in both). When I saw how challenging it was to wade through the bureaucratic waters to make even the smallest changes in the clinic I was working at, it solidified my desire to do direct care and have a say in how I practice medicine and do what is right for patients.

What does DCPP offer patients? What makes your practice stand out?

My practice offers full spectrum family medicine plus a strong lifestyle medicine component, including group visits, a teaching kitchen, fitness prescriptions, Walk with a Doc, and more. It stands out from the traditional big box primary care setting because my patients can directly reach me, I know every one of them, down to which pharmacy they prefer and what part of town they live in :)

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

Best piece of advice I’ve been given is by my mom “you can do it all at once, you just may not be able to do all well at the same time”. This has helped me with giving myself grace as a physician entrepreneur owner of 3 businesses and mom of 2 littles. Sometimes, you just have to have self-compassion and understand that we are not perfect.

Dr. Kirsten Lin

I have known Dr. Lin for several years through mutual friends and she never ceases to amaze me with everything she does!

Where are you from? Where did you get your education? What keeps you in Pittsburgh? Name your favorite thing about our city.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh. I went to high school at North Allegheny, college Penn State, med school at the University of Pittsburgh. What keeps me in Pittsburgh is my desire to be close to family and because the people here are really friendly and down to earth (for the most part). Favorite thing about the city is the neighborhoods.

What type of medicine were you practicing when you decided to start your own practice? Can you discuss the turning point that really solidified you decision to do direct care?

I was in a group practice for 12 years before starting my DCPP, employed by a local health system. During that time, I was forced to see 25-30 patients per day. We were always running (hours) behind. I never had time to eat lunch, use the restroom, communicate with my family. Because of full schedules and centralized scheduling, I was seeing patients I didn't know, and my patients were ending up with other providers or being referred to urgent care. I had a patient tell me it would be easier to rob Fort Knox than get me on the phone. I was clinically depressed at that time.

In March of 2017, I was actually doing a Lent reflection with Matthew Kelly (one of the Best Lent Ever videos), and the message was that "if you are feeling disgruntled, God is probably trying to tell you something" - and I think that message was that I couldn't continue down this path; I was not really helping patients, and I was destroying my own mental and physical health. Around that time, a friend of mine told me about DPC. I researched the model and attended a conference, and realized that was my path forward in medicine.

What does DCPP offer patients?

The main offering is my time. Time spent with patients is invaluable. Helps me get to know them and understand when something isn't right. Allows me the space to take a longer history, perform an adequate physical exam, thoroughly review labs/tests, and even spend time in reviewing pertinent medical literature.

What makes your practice stand out?

Our practice is patient-centered. Period. We are not profit-driven, and we don't have an ivory tower.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

"If your cup is empty, you can't pour into someone else's cup." It's important for me to focus on my own health so I have the energy and motivation to help others. It's also important to me that I am practicing what I preach.

Tell me anything else that you like included!! Maybe a funny story from medical school, how you handled a difficult patient case etc. Anything really!!

Med school is where I met my husband. We lived in the same apartment building so we would walk back and forth together. One day, a group of our friends made plans to visit a pumpkin patch together. The rest of our friends ditched us, so that is where Charles and I had our first date. And the rest is history! I believe there were 11 couples who met on the first day of med school and eventually married.

Dr. Rebecca Byard

Dr. Rebecca Byard works in the Mt. Lebanon office. It was great getting to know her and her passion for her life's work!

Where are you from? Where did you get your education? What keeps you in Pittsburgh? Name your favorite thing about our city.

I grew up in Upper St. Clair. I ended up at Chatham University for undergrad, and went to Marshall University for medical school. Washington Hospital (in Wash PA) for residency. What keeps me in Pittsburgh is my family. My favorite thing about our city is that the people here are genuinely nice.

What type of medicine were you practicing when you decided to start your own practice? Can you discuss the turning point that really solidified your decision to do direct care?

So I was practicing urgent care locally, when I realized that I wanted to be back in primary care. I didn't even realize DPC was a thing until I started looking for primary care opportunities. I knew that I did not want to go back to the same system I left years before (doing primary care before urgent care), but when I found out DPC was real and worked I was sold. DPC is good for doctors but even better for patients. And I wanted to practice good medicine and feel like I was making a difference in peoples' lives.

3. Your direct care practice:

What does DCPP offer patients? DCPP offers patients a core group of strong women physicians who truly want to make an impact on their health. We offer great ways to keep in touch with your doctor, as well as easy access to appointments.

What makes your practice stand out? My patients know that I care.

4. What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? One of my old bosses from the business world taught me, "it never hurts to ask, the worst they can say is, no."

Dr. Ashley Loughner

Where are you from? Where did you get your education? What keeps you in Pittsburgh? Name your favorite thing about our city.

I am from Leechburg, PA. I got my undergrad at Allegheny College in Meadville then went to LECOM at Seton Hill campus. I actually just returned to Pittsburgh last year after I was serving in the military (Air Force) for the last 12ish years. We spent 4 years in ND before moving back to PA. We came back because all our family is here, and we missed the city of Pittsburgh!

What type of medicine were you practicing when you decided to start your own practice? Can you discuss the turning point that really solidified you decision to do direct care?

I was doing family medicine in the Air Force, and before that doing family medicine in the civilian world. I got to see both military and civilian medicine, and I realized that ultimately, they weren't that different. TRICARE is the insurance for the military, and it's a great insurance for coverage (as most everything is paid for, and service members and their families hardly ever have to pay anything out of pocket). But at the end of the day, it's still an insurance company. I found myself (still) having to see 15-20+ patients per day, for 15 minute visits, and I was struggling. My patients were frustrated with the short visits, I was frustrated with not having more time with them, and it was a mess. Imagine having a 15-minute visit with an 18-year old who just joined the military and is now isolated from everything he/she used to know, having moved away from his/her family and friends, and now feeling like he/she wants to end his/her life. That is NOT something that can be dealt with in 15 minutes!

What does DCPP offer patients? A better relationship with your primary care doctor that is built on honesty and trust through actually having the time to foster this relationship through the direct care model, which leads to better care.

What makes your practice stand out? I am the only osteopathic direct care physician in the Direct Care Physicians of Pittsburgh. I was trained to take a holistic approach to patient care, focusing on treating the person as a 'whole' and not just treating the different symptoms or illnesses/diseases he/she may be experiencing or have. My training goes hand-in-hand with the direct care model, as I have the time to really get to know my patients and learn about their lives and not just see them as their disease or illness. I also practice osteopathic manipulative therapy, which is a hands-on treatment that helps to treat pain, increase blood flow, and improve mobility of the soft tissues, muscles, and joints, leading to overall better health of the body.

Tell me anything else that you like included!! Maybe a funny story from medical school, how you handled a difficult patient case etc. Anything really!!

Direct primary care saved my career. I was ready to quit practicing medicine until I learned about direct primary care. I don't know where I'd be or what I'd be doing with my life right now if I hadn't decided to take a leap of faith and start my direct care practice. I am so grateful God led me in this direction.

Now that you've met these wonderful physicians, you can learn more about their services by checking out their website which is linked below!