Soft launch is now open.The $99 registration fee is waived for founding members. For video visits, you must be physically located in Virginia, D.C., or Maryland during the visit.
Ursa Primary Care
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MEDICINE AS IT SHOULD BE

Healthcare with a North Star.

Ursa Primary Care is a membership-based direct primary care practice led by experienced family nurse practitioners Casey O’Bryan and Shuchita Gorrell, offering unhurried, relationship-based primary care in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.

We built Ursa to make primary care feel human again: more time to talk, room for the full story, and clear guidance you can carry with you after every visit.

Good primary care should feel steady, personal, and easy to find when you need it.

Book a Free Meet and GreetBecome a Founding Member

A free 15-minute call. No obligation, and no need to share health details.

Illustration of a bear in a sailboat looking through a telescope at a guiding star
Your guide, not your gatekeeper
Choose a primary clinician who gets to know your history, goals, and preferences. The other Ursa clinician is available for thoughtful collaboration and continuity when needed.
Straightforward primary careNo copays or facility fees for membership-covered primary care. One flat monthly membership covers included primary care, so we work for you rather than an insurance company.Visits take the time they takeWe book visits on the hour, giving you room for a thoughtful conversation, a clear plan, and the right next step. Many visits finish sooner. Because we are not tied to insurance billing rules, care can fit the concern: a quick call, secure message, video visit, or an in-person visit when appropriate.Your clinician, directlySecure messaging, phone, video, and in-person visits with the clinician who knows you. Routine secure messages are typically answered the same or next business day, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Ursa is not an emergency service.
Why we built Ursa Primary Care

Welcome to a practice where you are known, heard, and valued.

We built Ursa Primary Care to escape the rushed, impersonal nature of modern medicine. Here, we have the time to truly listen, the expertise to guide, and the dedication to be there when you need us most. We look forward to partnering with you on your journey to optimal health.

Let us be your North Star

How it works

How membership works

Three simple steps, from your first hello to your first visit.

01

Start with a conversation

Book a free 15-minute call to meet us and decide whether Ursa Primary Care is the right fit for you. No pressure, no obligation.

02

Become a member

A transparent membership covers your included primary care. No copays or facility fees for membership-covered primary care, with clear monthly pricing, and the flexibility to cancel anytime.

03

Get unhurried care

Longer visits in person or by video, a goal of same-day or next-business-day appointments for most needs, and secure messaging with the clinician who knows you.

COMPREHENSIVE PRIMARY CARE

A broad constellation of clinical care

Most of what brings people in, handled by a clinician who knows you.

Preventive care

Screening and prevention planning, including cancer screening and vaccine recommendations, with help coordinating labs and imaging, all planned around your history, goals, stage of life, and current medical evidence.

Everyday illness

Care for coughs, rashes, urinary symptoms, headaches, minor injuries, medication questions, and things that should not wait.

Chronic care

Ongoing support for diabetes, blood pressure, thyroid conditions, cholesterol, asthma, and other long-term needs.

Metabolic health

Support for cardiometabolic conditions and weight-related concerns, including medication treatment planning and monitoring when clinically appropriate, with a focus on health, not shame or a number on a scale.

Mental health

Thoughtful care for anxiety, depression, attention concerns, sleep, and stress, with treatment planning and coordination of care, in collaboration with therapy or psychiatry when helpful.

Sexual and affirming care

Respectful, inclusive primary care for sexual health and LGBTQ health.

Women’s health

Thoughtful primary care for contraception, perimenopause and menopause, and other concerns across your life stages.

Labs and diagnostics

Transparent lab pricing when available, local coordination, and clear guidance about what testing is truly worth doing.

Procedures and referrals

Care coordination, referrals, and selected services as clinically appropriate and available.

If your needs are best met by a specialist, urgent care, or an emergency department, we will say so and help you take the next steps.

Meet us before you commit.

Book a free 15-minute call to see if Ursa is the right fit. No obligation, no pressure.

A free 15-minute call. No obligation, and no need to share health details.

The story behind our name

Why “Ursa”?

Our ethos and inspiration.

In astronomy, Ursa Major, the Great Bear, helps point the way to Polaris, the North Star. For centuries, Polaris has offered travelers a steady point of reference.

We chose the name Ursa because good primary care should offer that same steadiness: clear guidance in a complicated healthcare system, thoughtful support through change, and a clinician who helps you return to what matters.

Polaris, the North StarUrsa Major, the Great BearUrsa Minor, the Little Bearthe pointer stars
Follow the two pointer stars of Ursa Major to Polaris, the star that has guided travelers for millennia.
The pillars of care

What it means to be guided.

Hospitality is part of good medicine.
Three ideas shape every visit.

At Ursa, hospitality means beginning with the person in front of us. It means a warm greeting, a calm room, time to settle in, and follow-up from someone who remembers you. It means making space for questions, explaining the plan clearly, and treating your time, comfort, and dignity as part of your care.

Connection

Your health is shaped by relationships: with your clinician, your family, your community, and the specialists involved in your care. We help keep those threads connected so important information does not get lost between visits, referrals, and results.

Stability

One clinician who knows your whole story, not just a fragment of it. Continuity gives care a steadier foundation and makes it easier to make thoughtful decisions over time.

Vision

We look beyond the immediate symptom to the broader pattern: your history, risks, goals, and the early signals worth paying attention to. That is preventive care with precision.

Inclusive care

Inclusive care that honors who you are.

We welcome people of all identities, orientations, and body sizes. Whether you are seeking gender-affirming care, support through a major life transition, or simply a clinician who listens carefully and respects your autonomy, you are welcome here.

Too many people have experienced healthcare settings where their concerns were minimized, their identities were misunderstood, or their dignity was not respected. Ursa was built to offer a different kind of primary care: attentive, affirming, trauma-informed, and grounded in careful clinical judgment, current evidence, and shared decision-making.

A letter from your clinicians
Ursa Primary Care

Dear future patient,

If you have ever left a medical visit feeling like an interrupted checklist rather than a person, you were not imagining it.

Too often, primary care is built around throughput: short appointments, packed schedules, fragmented handoffs, and insurance rules that leave too little room for the conversations that actually matter. Patients wait weeks to be seen, then try to fit a whole life—including symptoms, questions, medications, worries, family history, and goals—into a few hurried minutes. Important details can be missed, plans can feel unclear, and patients are often left to navigate the next steps on their own.

We started Ursa because we wanted to practice differently—to offer primary care that is more human-centered.

We believe time is essential to good medicine. Time to listen before making assumptions. Time to understand the details of your health history, the patterns that may be easy to overlook, and the realities of your daily life. Time to explain what we think is happening, consider the options together, and make a plan that feels clear and workable, rather than simply handing you a printout as someone reaches for the door.

At Ursa, you choose a primary clinician who gets to know your history, goals, preferences, and patterns over time. We reserve generous time for visits, keep our practice intentionally small, and offer secure messaging and follow-up between visits. The other Ursa clinician is also available for thoughtful collaboration and continuity when another perspective is helpful or your usual clinician is away.

Because we do not bill insurance for membership-covered primary care, care can fit the concern. Sometimes that means a longer in-person or video visit. Sometimes it means a quick phone call or secure message that answers a question before it becomes a bigger problem. It can also mean reviewing results, adjusting a medication, talking through a new symptom, or deciding together whether testing, a referral, or watchful waiting makes the most sense.

Primary care cannot, and should not, handle everything alone. When a specialist, therapist, urgent care, emergency department, imaging center, laboratory, or another part of your care team is the right next step, we will tell you plainly. We will help you understand the recommendation, coordinate care when appropriate, and remain a steady point of connection as you move through the healthcare system.

Our work is not limited to treating a problem once it appears. We help you pay attention to the patterns that shape long-term health: prevention, screenings, sleep, stress, movement, nutrition, mental health, medications, and changes that may deserve attention before they become more serious. We aim to make prevention practical and personal, based on your history, risks, priorities, and the best available evidence.

Our approach is warm and approachable, but never casual about medicine. We bring careful clinical judgment, current evidence, and shared decision-making to every visit. We care for the whole person, without judgment. We welcome the list, the awkward question, the concern you have been putting off, and the goals that matter to you—not just the ones that fit neatly into a template.

The part of primary care we value most is the long arc: getting to know you through changes in work, family, health, and life. We are here not only when you are sick, but also when you are trying to stay well, make sense of a change, or decide what comes next. Our role is to provide thoughtful medical care and to be a steady advocate in your health.

Ursa is our way of restoring something essential to primary care: a relationship built on trust, attention, and time.

We would be honored to care for you.

Warmly,

Casey O’Bryan & Shuchita Gorrell

Co-founders, Ursa Primary Care

Meet your clinicians

Here for the human connection

The reason we practice this way.

We came to primary care for the human connection: the privilege of listening closely, earning trust over time, and helping people make sense of their health. Ursa gives us the space to practice with the thoroughness, continuity, and attention that meaningful primary care requires. Ultimately, it all comes back to a simple truth we learned early in our careers:

“The secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient.”Francis W. Peabody, MD

That is not just a quote to us. It is a clinical manifesto. We keep our panels intentionally small so we can bring careful clinical judgment, current evidence, and real attention to the people who trust us with their health.

Casey O'Bryan, FNP

Casey O’Bryan, MSN, FNP-C

Background
Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner
Education: UC Berkeley and Yale
Certifications
Board certified: American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
Shuchita Gorrell, FNP

Shuchita Gorrell, MSN, FNP-C

Background
Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner
Education: UCLA and Johns Hopkins
Certifications
Board certified: American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
Certificate: Advanced Education in Obesity Medicine, Obesity Medicine Association

Choose a primary clinician who gets to know you deeply, with the continuity of a closely collaborating two-clinician practice.

Book a Free Meet and GreetBecome a Founding Member
Patient stories

In our patients’ words

Heard from the people who know us best.

“I have never felt this level of comfort and trust with a medical professional as I do with [her]. She is intelligent, funny, empathetic, and has a genuine care for the wellbeing of the people she sees.”
“A++ across the board. She listens to me and asks pertinent questions. I always feel supported and never rushed.”
“She takes the time to listen to my concerns and works with me to build a plan for my health. It’s truly collaborative in a way that I haven’t encountered before.”
“[She] is one of the most thorough, kind, and patient-centered practitioners I have ever been lucky enough to see. I feel very well taken care of and trust her completely.”
“[Her] holistic approach and thoughtful attention have made a profound difference on my health and wellbeing.”
“She has great bedside manner and truly treats the whole person. My personal health has improved since I started seeing [her]!”
“[She] is engaged, thoughtful, warm, open, and (perhaps most importantly for me) HILARIOUS. I trusted her inherently, immediately. What a gift!”
Read more patient stories
TWO MODELS FOR PRIMARY CARE

Direct primary care and the fee-for-service model

A different visit, built on different incentives.

Direct primary care at Ursa
Traditional fee-for-service care
How you pay
One flat monthly membership for included primary care
Visits are billed to insurance, often with copays, coinsurance, or deductible costs
Visit length
Appointments are scheduled with generous time, often in hour-long blocks, in person or by video
Visits are often shorter and scheduled in tighter time slots
Access
Direct messaging and follow-up with your primary clinician
Access often runs through appointment availability, office workflows, and insurance networks
Continuity
One primary clinician who knows your history, goals, and care over time, with a collaborating clinician available when needed
You may see different clinicians depending on scheduling and system structure
Panel size
A deliberately smaller panel leaves more time for visits, follow-up, and coordination
Larger patient panels are more common
Billing
No copays for membership-covered primary care; separately billed costs are discussed in advance whenever possible
Claims, billing codes, and plan rules shape what is billed and what you owe
Labs
Negotiated lab pricing when available, with costs discussed before testing
Labs may be billed through insurance; final costs depend on your plan and deductible
Insurance
Not insurance, but commonly paired with high-deductible or catastrophic coverage for specialists, imaging, hospital care, and emergencies
Insurance is typically used for primary care, labs, specialists, hospital care, and other covered services

Ursa membership is not health insurance. Many members keep major medical coverage, often a high-deductible plan, to help with emergencies, hospitalization, surgery, specialty care, imaging, and prescriptions, while using their membership for everyday primary care.

HSA eligibility and tax treatment depend on your health plan and individual circumstances. Please consult your tax adviser or benefits administrator.

Membership & pricing

Transparent care, uncomplicated pricing

One flat monthly fee, clearly priced

Individual

One adult, age 18 or older

$150/month
  • Visits and secure messaging, with no copays or facility fees for membership-covered primary care
  • We aim to offer same-day or next-business-day appointments for most needs, based on clinical urgency and availability
  • Preventive care, chronic care, and medication management
  • Care coordination and selected services as clinically appropriate and available
Become a Founding Member

Household

Two adults in the same household

$250/month
  • Everything in Individual, for both adults in the same household
  • Save $50 a month compared with two Individual memberships
Become a Founding Member

Employers

Care for your team.

Let’s talk
  • Volume membership rates
  • Healthier, more present teams
  • Simple monthly invoicing
  • A real benefit people use
Talk to us
Soft launch is now open

The one-time $99 registration fee is waived for founding members.

We are welcoming founding members now through telemedicine while our Vienna and Georgetown offices are being finalized. In-person visits may be available case by case when clinically appropriate.

Openings are limited and paced so every new member receives the attention and continuity Ursa is built to provide. Membership is month to month, and you may cancel anytime.

Membership is not health insurance. We recommend keeping a high-deductible or catastrophic plan for hospital stays, surgeries, emergency care, and specialist care.

Locations

Direct primary care in Vienna and Washington, D.C.

Ursa serves Northern Virginia and the D.C. area from two offices, with video visits for members located in Virginia, D.C., or Maryland.

FAQ

Common questions, answered clearly

Straight answers before booking.

Still wondering about something? Book a free meet and greet and ask us directly.

The basics
What is direct primary care?

Direct primary care is a membership for your everyday medical care. You pay one flat monthly fee directly to your clinicians, and in return you get longer visits, direct access between visits, and a plan built by someone who knows you.

There is no insurance company in the middle, so there are no copays or facility fees for membership-covered primary care.

Ursa membership is not health insurance. It covers the primary care services described in your membership agreement.

What does membership cover?

Membership includes unhurried visits, secure messaging between visits, acute care, chronic-condition care, preventive care, medication management, and care coordination.

Secure messages can be used for routine questions, follow-up, medication questions, and support with your care plan. Phone and video follow-up are also available when clinically appropriate.

There are no copays or facility fees for membership-covered primary care. Labs, prescriptions, imaging, specialists, hospital care, and other services outside Ursa may have separate costs.

Who is Ursa for?

Ursa is for people who want a more thoughtful, connected relationship with primary care, whether you feel healthy today or are managing something ongoing.

If you are focused on prevention, we help you stay well with screening, health planning, and a clinician who knows your baseline. If you are managing a long-term condition, we offer steady follow-up, longer visits, medication support, and care coordination. And if you are somewhere in between, we are here for the questions, changes, and everyday health concerns that do not fit neatly into a rushed appointment.

Everyone is welcome at Ursa, including people with preexisting conditions. We will be clear about what we can manage in primary care, when a referral makes sense, and what may have costs outside the practice.

Who are my clinicians, and can I choose one?

Your clinicians are Shuchita Gorrell, FNP-C, and Casey O’Bryan, FNP-C. You can choose one of us as your primary clinician, the person who gets to know your health history, goals, and preferences most deeply.

You also have the strength of a two-clinician practice. If your primary clinician is away, the other can step in with context and continuity. We collaborate closely when another perspective is useful and stay aligned on your care plan.

Are you nurse practitioners or physicians?

We are family nurse practitioners with more than a decade of primary care experience each. We diagnose, treat, and manage a wide range of primary care needs, and we collaborate with specialists and other clinicians when that helps you receive the right care.

Care and access
How quickly can I be seen?

We aim to offer same-day or next-business-day appointments for most needs, based on clinical urgency and availability.

Where are Ursa’s offices, and which areas do you serve?

Ursa Primary Care has offices in Vienna, Virginia, and Georgetown, Washington, D.C. We serve members throughout Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. Communities we serve include Vienna, Tysons, McLean, Reston, Arlington, Falls Church, and Fairfax in Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Bethesda, Rockville, Chevy Chase, Potomac, Silver Spring, and nearby communities in Maryland.

Video visits are available for members physically located in Virginia, D.C., or Maryland during the visit. Routine in-person care begins after launch, and in-person visits are available case by case while the offices are being finalized.

Are visits in person or virtual?

Both. Video visits are available for patients located in Virginia, D.C., or Maryland at the time of their visit.

Routine in-person care begins after launch. In-person visits are available case by case as needed while the Vienna and Georgetown offices are being finalized.

How do I reach you between visits?

You can message your clinician directly through the secure patient portal for routine questions and follow-up. Phone and video follow-up are also available when clinically appropriate.

Do not use secure messaging for emergencies or time-sensitive concerns that cannot wait until the next business day. For a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Ursa does not provide emergency care.

Do you see patients in Maryland?

Yes. We are licensed in Virginia, D.C., and Maryland, so members in any of those places can meet with us by video.

You must be physically located in Virginia, D.C., or Maryland during the visit.

Insurance and coverage
What does membership cost?

Membership is $150 per month for one adult and $250 per month for two adults in the same household.

There is a one-time $99 registration fee, waived for founding members.

Do I still need health insurance?

For most people, yes. Membership covers your everyday primary care, but it is not health insurance.

We recommend keeping a high-deductible or catastrophic plan for hospital stays, surgeries, emergency care, and specialist care.

Do you accept Medicare?

No. Ursa does not accept or bill Medicare, just as we do not accept or bill commercial insurance.

Shuchita and Casey have formally opted out of Medicare. This means Medicare does not pay for care provided by Ursa, and members cannot submit Ursa membership fees or Ursa visits to Medicare for reimbursement.

Medicare beneficiaries may still choose to join Ursa and pay the membership fee directly. Before receiving care, they will sign a private agreement confirming that Medicare will not be billed for Ursa’s services.

You may continue using Medicare for care outside Ursa, such as hospital care, emergency care, specialists, imaging, laboratory services, and prescriptions, subject to your plan’s coverage. Formal Medicare opt-out arrangements use private contracts and do not permit Medicare billing for the opted-out clinician’s covered services.

Can I still use my insurance for labs and prescriptions?

Yes, whenever that is the better option for you. We also have negotiated lab pricing that may lower your out-of-pocket cost.

What if I need a specialist or hospital care?

We can refer you, coordinate your care, and help you make sense of the results.

Membership does not replace insurance for specialist, hospital, emergency, or surgical care, which is why we recommend maintaining coverage for those needs. Specialist availability, coverage, and costs are determined separately.

Getting started
Do I need to be a former patient of Shuchita or Casey?

Not at all. Everyone is welcome.

What is a meet and greet?

It is a free 15-minute video or phone call with Shuchita or Casey. There is no obligation and no need to share health details.

It is simply a chance to see whether Ursa is the right fit.

How do I join?

Start with a free meet and greet or register through our secure Hint patient portal when you are ready.

During the soft launch, membership openings may be paced intentionally so every patient receives the attention and continuity Ursa is built to provide.

Start here

Ready for a different kind of care?

You are never a billing code. You are a person we get to know over time.

Primary care should give you time to be heard, a clinician who knows your story, and a clear next step when something changes. That is the kind of care we built Ursa to provide.

Meet us first

A free 15-minute call. No obligation, and no need to share health details. It is a conversation about what unhurried, relationship-based care could look like for you.

Book a Free Meet and Greet

Join as a founding member

Secure your place during the soft launch and join a practice built around time, trust, and continuity.

Become a Founding Member
What happens next
Meet and greet
Choose Shuchita, Casey, or either clinician, then select a brief phone or video conversation.
Membership
Register through the secure Hint portal, then book your first visit.
Soft launch
Openings are intentionally paced so each member receives continuity and attention.
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