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When North Carolina’s State Health Plan went through its members in 2024, it found that at least 70% were living with a chronic condition, and 54% had been diagnosed with diabetes or obesity, very often both.
The part worth sitting with is what was pushing people into the highest-risk group. Of the top ten conditions doing that, five traced straight back to diabetes and high blood pressure. The two biggest were chronic kidney disease and heart failure, and the plan described both as the result of diabetes and hypertension going unmanaged.
That word is doing a lot of work. These aren’t conditions medicine can’t treat. They’re conditions that need somebody watching them. SustainMD is a direct primary care practice built around that, with an office in Concord at 851 Bradley St NE and telehealth across the state, led by Dr. Allison Barbee, a board-certified family medicine physician licensed in North Carolina.
That’s not a figure of speech. The CDC mapped a cluster of mostly southeastern counties where roughly 11.7% of adults have diagnosed diabetes, against about 8.5% everywhere else, and named it the diabetes belt. People living inside it are also more likely to be carrying extra weight and less likely to be getting much exercise. North Carolina sits in the older stroke belt too.
What that adds up to in a normal week at a family practice is fairly predictable:
And because the state is filling up so fast, a great many North Carolinians have no doctor at all. Getting on a panel can take months, so urgent care becomes the fallback, which works fine for a twisted ankle and does nothing whatsoever for your blood pressure.
High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes are not medical mysteries. We know what to do about them. What they ask for is somebody paying steady attention: regular check-ins, adjustments when the numbers wander, and a doctor who spots a trend across a year rather than squinting at one snapshot.
A rushed, insurance-driven schedule can’t give you that, and you can see the consequences in the same State Health Plan figures. Members out in rural North Carolina were using emergency rooms more often, most likely because there simply aren’t enough primary care doctors nearby. Members in the rural east and west were landing in hospital for diabetes more frequently than anyone else.
Kidney failure and heart failure sit at the end of a very long road. There are years’ worth of chances to turn off it, provided somebody is walking it alongside you.
Conveniently, the conditions doing the most damage in this state are the ones that suit virtual care best. Over video your doctor can manage:
Blood pressure, using an inexpensive cuff you keep at home
Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, cholesterol, and thyroid conditions
Weight and metabolic health, including keeping medications on track
Seasonal allergies and the usual coughs and infections
Anxiety, low mood, and sleep
Prescriptions, refills, and your results explained in plain English
Lab work goes in electronically through Fullscript, you get drawn at whichever lab is closest to you, and you go through the results together on a call. Professional-grade supplements can come through the same system when they suit you.
North Carolina members get something the other states don’t: an actual building. If you’re in the Charlotte metro and you’d rather be seen face to face, the Concord office at 851 Bradley St NE is right there.
Most people end up doing a bit of both, dropping in occasionally and handling the routine stuff from the kitchen table. Having somewhere nearby tends to make the whole thing feel more solid, even when most of your care happens on a screen.
It also solves a very practical problem for the Charlotte metro. You can get established properly, put a face to the person managing your blood pressure, and then stop spending your mornings in a parking deck for something that takes eleven minutes.
Dr. Allison Barbee is a board-certified family medicine physician with over 20 years of clinical experience and additional training in obesity medicine. She is licensed to practice in California and provides direct primary care entirely by video and phone — from Los Angeles and the Southland to San Diego, the Bay Area, Sacramento, the Central Valley, and small towns where finding a local doctor is genuinely hard.
Her approach is simple: know your history, take the time a ten-minute visit never allows, and be a message away instead of a three-week wait away.
Patient12
Dr. Barbee listens to your concerns, is empathetic and knowledgable. Not once has she made me feel ashamed or less than. She gives practical, reasonable and most importantly, doable recommendations. She uses lifestyle interventions instead of immediately jumping to medications, but will also use medications if you and she believe
Patient11
Dr. Barbee has been a remarkable weight loss physician for me. She distinguished herself by customizing her approach to suit my individual needs. Throughout our sessions, she was incredibly attentive, understanding my specific health concerns and weight loss goals. Dr. Barbee excelled in explaining the details of the medications she
Patient10
Dr. Barbee is an extremely knowledgeable physician who I rely on with all my medical needs. Her bedside manner is impeccable and very friendly. She listens to all of my issues and gets to the bottom of any problem you may have. I honestly cannot say enough good things about
Patient9
Dr Barbee actually listened to me and was able to diagnose my symptoms and actually treat and control the issue. I can not thank her enough! She was super patient and kind. Something you don’t really see now a days.
A.M.
Dr. Barbee understands that health is not one-size-fits-all. She takes the time to listen, remembers details, and works collaboratively with me as things evolve. The most meaningful part of working with her is feeling truly heard and supported, not just during appointments but overall in my care.
Andrea
The best! I have been a patient of Dr. Barbee’s for years! She has guided and treated me in my worst and best days. Her professionalism is top notch, along with her knowledge of health. You cannot ask for any better care than Dr. Barbee!
Suzanne Layser
Truly a compassionate Doctor- I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Barbee. I felt truly cared for. Dr. Barbee was incredibly compassionate, took the time to really listen, and never made me feel rushed. She asked thoughtful questions and genuinely wanted to understand what I was experiencing. What impressed
Patient8
Dr. Barbee is an extremely knowledgeable physician who I rely on with all my medical needs. Her bedside manner is impeccable and very friendly. She listens to all of my issues and gets to the bottom of any problem you may have. I honestly cannot say enough good things about
Patient7
Great doctor- Dr. Barbee is a kind and caring doctor. She is the type of person you can talk to and really will listen. She understands your problems and will work with you to solve them. She is very thorough and make sure everything is looked at does not miss
Patient6
Thoughtful, caring and truly helpful-I have been a patient of Dr. Barbee for many years. I have always found her honest and helpful. She works hard to look at root causes, which can take a while to figure out. She is persistent, yet kind. As we age, our bodies change.
SustainMD’s membership is called the SimplyWell DPC Plan. What it buys is the one thing chronic conditions genuinely need, which is time. Longer visits, easier access, and a physician who remembers you in between. If you’ve just moved here, it’s also the quickest route back to simply having a doctor.
It’s a flat fee, we don’t bill insurance, and there are no copays. Direct primary care isn’t health insurance, so most members keep a plan for hospital care, surgery, and specialists and use the membership for the rest. Members join us from Charlotte, Concord, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and the rural, mountain and coastal parts of the state.
You pay your doctor a flat membership fee for direct, unhurried access to everyday care, rather than billing each visit to insurance.
Yes, plenty of members are uninsured or self-pay, and we don’t bill insurance for anything.
Yes, North Carolina passed a law recognizing direct primary care agreements in 2020.
Yes, our Concord office at 851 Bradley St NE means you can mix in-person visits with video ones.
Yes, with home readings and regular check-ins these are among the best conditions for virtual care.
The order goes in electronically, you get drawn at a lab near you, and you go over the results together.
Both give you closer access, though direct primary care is usually simpler and cheaper, and it sticks to everyday care.
Physician Credentials
Care is provided by Dr. Allison Pope Barbee, MD, a board certified family medicine physician with advanced training in obesity medicine and metabolic health.
Educational Disclaimer
Information on this page is provided for educational purposes and should not replace medical advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
Not Emergency Care
SustainMD telehealth services are not intended for emergency medical situations.
Privacy and Security
All virtual visits are conducted using secure, HIPAA compliant telehealth platforms to protect patient privacy.
Take the first step towards a healthier, happier you. Whether you’re interested in our comprehensive medical weight loss program, our dedicated obesity management services, or our revolutionary direct primary care model, SustainMD is here to help.
