Now Accepting New Patients
Direct Primary Care in Eugene, Oregon
Primary care with the time, access, and continuity to know the whole you.
Elisabeth Lawler, MD, MSCP
Board-certified in Family Medicine · Menopause Society Certified Practitioner
Comprehensive primary care.
How It Works
What is Direct Primary Care?
Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a membership-based model that removes insurance from the primary care relationship. You pay a flat monthly fee directly to your doctor — and in return, you get longer appointments, direct access, and a physician who knows you.
Scope of membership
What membership doesn't cover.
Northward Health is your primary care, not your insurance. Your membership covers the care I provide directly — your visits, our time, and direct access to me. It doesn't cover care outside the practice, so you'll still want coverage in place for the rest.
Not covered by membership:
For details on your specific plan — what it covers and how it coordinates — your insurance provider is the best resource.
About this practice
Northward Health is now open and accepting new patients. Choosing a primary care practice is a personal decision — request a free meet-and-greet to ask questions and see whether the practice is a good fit for you.
Request a free meet-and-greetServices
What's covered.
Your membership covers the full scope of primary care — from annual wellness visits to chronic disease management to same-day sick visits.
Full service list
Meet Dr. Elisabeth Lawler
Why I practice this way.
I grew up in a college town in central Illinois, but I spent nearly all of my childhood summers visiting my mother's family in Bangkok, Thailand, a metropolis almost exactly halfway around the world. Growing up between two very different cultures shaped how I think of family and the range of values people hold. It also taught me that health is much more than what we can measure in a doctor's visit.
I always knew I wanted to practice medicine, though I took a circuitous route to get there: graduate school, community health work, research, and finally medical school.
Later in my career, I found myself on the other side of medicine. I became an advocate and caregiver for my closest family members as they navigated serious and complicated illnesses. It showed me that a medical condition is never just a problem to be solved. It carries personal and emotional weight, touching a person's values and the people they love. That's why it has to be treated as part of the whole person and their family, not in isolation.
Though I knew the medical system from the inside, I still found it fragmented and overwhelming. That experience deepened my understanding of what my patients go through, and it has shaped how I practice.
After more than a decade in practice, I felt the strain of a system that leaves little room to build the relationship between myself and my patients that good care depends on. I see myself as a partner in my patients' health. That means knowing them well. I want to know their goals for now and for the long term, what motivates them and what matters most to them. The part of medicine I find most rewarding is the human connection and building a trusting relationship, which is where the most change happens. No matter where someone is starting from, I believe there's room to improve their health, in body, mind and spirit.
In direct primary care, there's no insurance billing standing between me and my patients. That means less paperwork, fewer rushed visits, and more time for what actually matters.
I've practiced medicine in Eugene since 2015, and this community has become home in every sense of the word. It's a beautiful place to raise a family. My two daughters keep me busy, and the Pacific Northwest gives us plenty of reasons to be outside.
Credentials
Education & Training
Experience
Membership Fees
One flat monthly fee covers all your primary care visits.
May be compatible with certain HSA arrangements — consult your plan administrator.
Common Questions
For Employers
Own a small business?
Employer-sponsored DPC memberships are a cost-effective way to offer meaningful healthcare benefits to your team — without the overhead of traditional group insurance. Your employees get direct access to a primary care physician; you get a benefit that actually gets used.
Get in touch to learn moreRequest a Meet-and-Greet
Northward Health is now open and accepting new patients in Eugene, Oregon. Fill out the form below to request a complimentary meet-and-greet with Dr. Lawler — a chance to ask questions and see whether the practice is a good fit for you.
No commitment. I'll be in touch personally.
Important Disclosures
- This practice is not insurance.
- Northward Health provides only the limited scope of primary care services specified in the retainer medical agreement. If you need services outside that scope, you may need to seek care elsewhere.
- You are responsible for payment for all services not specified in the retainer medical agreement.
- This practice has been issued a certification by the Department of Consumer and Business Services. For questions, you may contact consumer advocates at the Department of Consumer and Business Services at (888) 977-4894, dcbs.insmail@state.or.us, or www.insurance.oregon.gov.
- Cancellation and refund policy: Please refer to your retainer medical agreement for the full cancellation and refund policy.
- Fees: Your monthly membership fee covers all primary care visits as outlined in your retainer medical agreement. An enrollment fee of $150 applies at the time of membership initiation. Labs, imaging, and services outside the agreement are billed separately.
- Services included in your membership fee are listed in your retainer medical agreement and in the Services section of this website.