12/17/2025
Recently I was interviewed by VoyageKC. Here's an excerpt to share why I deliver direct pediatric care in my clinic.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Johnson.
Hi Chelsea, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Spent my entire childhood and young adult life striving to become a doctor. Then, having spent 20 years in academic medicine, eventually realized I forgot to make new personal/career goals for myself once I achieved the MD title. Sadly, this resulted in feeling stuck in my career for too long. Only after leaving academic medicine in 2020 and spending time exploring much more about medicine, did I find myself securing my new goals and purpose.
I had wrestled with so many parent/family encounters working emergency departments across multiple states – in pediatric academic hospitals and rural facilities; large, high-volume multiple-physician ERs and single physician-coverage pediatric ER within an ER. So many families did not choose to be in there. It was a last-ditch effort to get care for their children. From having no primary doctor available, no clinic appointments available, or no clinic returning calls or portal messages to worried parents; to children getting suddenly worse at home and to the third or fourth doctor’s/urgent care/ER visit without a diagnosis or treatment that helped. I was now ready to tackle how I wanted to provide that personalized, high-touch, accessible and affordable time with families that needed to be heard, understood, and learn more about what’s going on with their child. Importantly, parents want to be a part of the decision-making and know they have options.
With the encouragement of my own DPC physician, so began the process to open my own direct pediatric care clinic in Liberty MO. Currently, we are able to start seeing patient via video visits or home visits while my clinic is completing renovations to open in January 2026 next to Liberty Hospital. At the core of pediatric Direct Pediatric Care model is a commitment to delivering exceptional value, convenience, and peace of mind for families. By removing traditional barriers to care, we empower parents with reliable access, transparent pricing, and a stronger, more personalized relationship with their child’s physician. At KidzMD DPC, we offer a membership-based model that gives families:
✅ More time with the doctor
✅ After-hours access for sick visits
✅ Home visits, telemedicine, & texting
✅ Urgent care services (splinting, stitches, ear piercings & more)
✅ My one goal: to keep your child healthy and out of the ER
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Surprisingly, the struggles are not what one expects they will be. Getting the location/facility selected was an initial setback; but flooring installation has been the biggest challenge to date and pushing back our opening date by 3 months. Some things are just out of one’s own control.
Securing vaccines is also highly stressful, particular to pediatricians, because of the high cost to purchase, store, and manage vaccines. Our vaccine solution has been placed on pause by our vaccine vendor who provides vaccines and bills insurance on behalf of the clinic; again, not within our control. We are pivoting solutions to provide families access to vaccines, either via free vaccine clinics or at-cost vaccines for self-pay until the vendor can fulfill our vaccine inventory.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about KidzMD DPC?
KidzMD DPC is Northland’s newest pediatric primary care clinic located near Liberty Hospital in Liberty MO. We provide accessible, affordable, and convenient access to care for kids. From Fast, Convenient, and Kid-Friendly Care — Anytime, Anywhere telemedicine and home visits to having a pediatrician in your pocket – via text, phone, secure portal access.
Direct Pediatric Care isn’t simply a response to what’s broken in the healthcare system. It’s a vision for something better.
At KidzMD, we believe every family deserves a relationship with their pediatrician built on time, access, and trust. We didn’t choose this model because it’s easy — we chose it because it gives us the chance to practice medicine the way kids and families deserve.
If that feels unusual, maybe the problem isn’t the model. Maybe it’s the way the system has taught us to see families — as visits, charts, and codes instead of people. We believe families deserve more.
In traditional healthcare, every question, visit, and test runs through insurance — often creating delays, confusion, and surprise costs. The DPC model replaces that complexity with something simple: a membership that gives you access, time, and peace of mind. Here’s what families love about it:
Access without obstacles – Text or call your pediatrician directly. Same-day or next-day visits are the norm, not the exception.
Predictable costs – A flat monthly fee replaces copays and unexpected bills.
More time together – Visits aren’t rushed. You have time to ask questions and feel heard.
Continuity of care – You’re not seeing a stranger each visit. Your pediatrician knows your child’s history and family dynamics.
Proactive health, not reactive care – With ongoing communication, issues are caught early and hospital visits often avoided.
For many families, the membership model is what finally makes high-quality pediatric care accessible, transparent, and truly personal.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I learned from an executive coach that it isn’t always the person in front of you at the networking event, or demo call, or even colleagues that fulfill mentorship, opportunities or collaborations; but that person may very well be the person who introduced you to the connection that takes you to the next level. Even if the person in front of you seems to not have much to offer or much in common with you; always ask if they know someone who you should meet or who shares your passion/business model/ect.
Pricing:
Newborns to 2 years $210/mo
2 years to 12 years $105/mo
12-17 years $40/mo
18-26 years $75/mo
One-time visits $150
Contact Info:
Website: https://www.kidzmd.com
Instagram: kidzmd2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579242806938
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseajohnsonmd/
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