Several weeks ago, a patient with a history of blood clots called his home, worried about pain and swelling in his legs.

Johnson quickly ordered imaging studies, although the client wasn’t due for his annual tests. And the doctor met with him a few hours after those were finished. The client was fine, no blood clots.

“I knew his history. Doing the tests sounded like a reasonable thing to do,” he said.

Johnson gave up his practice at Autumn Ridge Family Medicine to start one that's free from all the rules and paperwork that go with health insurance.

“Ninety-nine percent of other doctors said, ‘I don’t blame you,'" he said. “One hundred percent said, 'You are crazy.'”

But Johnson, a doctor of osteopathic medicine, gave up the financial security of a bigger practice for a chance to have the kind of relationship with patients that he believes allows for the best care.

By focusing on that, he said, he is doing what he knows is right.

Generally, 40 percent of a physician’s overhead costs are insurance-related, which pushes doctors see more patients to help cover these costs.