Lantern Health

What Lantern Health does

Lantern Health is an independent Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice operating two clinic locations in Asheville, North Carolina, founded in 2017-2018 by Dr. Ben Aiken originally under Mission Health as Avenu Health. Following divestiture from HCA in February 2020, Dr. Aiken purchased the practice and rebranded it as Lantern Health. The company delivers primary care exclusively through a membership-based model priced at $110 per month per adult with tiered family discounts ($100 for spouse, $75 per child, $150 for two or more children), plus a $160/month prenatal plan with an $800 delivery fee at Mission Hospital.

The core product is a Direct Primary Care Membership that bundles unlimited in-person, phone, text, and video visits with family physicians, health coaching, point-of-care labs, in-office procedures, and specialist e-consultations. Underlying technology is modest: secure messaging and telehealth run on the Spruce platform, membership signup/billing is handled through Hint, and member access to specialty services is enabled through partnerships with Sona Pharmacy (wholesale medications), LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics (primary labs), Invitae and Genova (specialty labs), VaxCare (vaccinations), and Thea Health (virtual specialist consultations). The practice has no proprietary AI or data platform.

Lantern Health serves two distinct customer segments through complementary go-to-market motions: a direct-to-consumer channel for individuals and families seeking transparent, relationship-based care with or without insurance, and a B2B sales-led channel selling employer benefits plans to businesses ranging from 3 to 400+ employees (25+ named partners including East Fork Pottery). Memberships are also sold across state lines via the Hint Connect national DPC network. The company is structured to remain physician-controlled, with a stated intent to convert to an employee-owned trust. Both Asheville locations are currently waitlist-only, and the practice is actively recruiting an additional physician.

Name

Lantern Health

Legal name

Lantern Health

Website

https://lanterndpc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lantern Health is an independent Direct Primary Care practice in Asheville, NC operating two clinic locations, offering membership-based family medicine, prenatal care, and health coaching at $110/month per adult to individuals, families, and 25+ employer partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Direct Primary Care

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (6211)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct Primary Care (DPC) & Concierge Medicine (HLAFAGAD)

Keywords

• Direct primary care
• Primary care membership
• Family medicine services
• Employer health benefits
• Lifestyle medicine

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual/Family Memberships: Monthly subscription fees for individuals, spouses, and dependents covering comprehensive primary care services including unlimited visits, telemedicine, labs, and in-office procedures.
2. Employer Group Memberships: Monthly subscription fees for employers providing DPC benefits to employees and their families, with tiered pricing for spouses and dependents.
3. Non-Included Services Revenue: Additional revenue from wholesale-priced medications through Sona Pharmacy, specialty lab tests, imaging referrals, and select in-office procedures not covered by membership.
4. Prenatal/Pregnancy Care: Specialized prenatal plan at $160/month plus $800 delivery fee for OB care at Mission Hospital.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lantern Health operates a Direct Primary Care (DPC) membership practice that delivers unlimited in-person, phone, text, and video primary care visits with family physicians for a flat monthly fee of $110 per member. The bundled membership includes health coaching, point-of-care labs, minor in-office procedures, virtual specialist e-consultation, and access to wholesale-priced medications, specialty labs, imaging, and vaccinations through partner networks. The practice operates two physical clinics in Asheville, NC, and serves individuals, families, and employer groups of 3 to 400+ employees.

Product overview

Lantern Health is a Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice offering a single integrated healthcare delivery platform centered on membership-based primary care. The core offering is the Direct Primary Care Membership, which bundles unlimited primary care visits (in-person, phone, text, video) with family physicians, health coaching, and clinical staff. Add-on modules include Prenatal/Pregnancy Care (with hospital delivery privileges), Wholesale Prescription Medications (via Sona Pharmacy), Specialty Lab Testing (through LabCorp, Quest, Invitae, Genova), Vaccination Services (via VaxCare), Imaging Referrals, and Virtual Specialist E-Consultation (via Thea Health). Employer Benefits Plans offer scaled membership pricing for businesses, while Hint Connect membership provides access to a national DPC network for distributed workforces. The practice operates two physical locations in Asheville, NC (Downtown and South) and serves members statewide via telehealth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct Primary Care Membership Monthly membership-based primary care service providing unlimited in-person, phone, text, and video visits with family physicians, health coaches, and clinical staff. Covers wellness assessments, acute visits, chronic disease management, point-of-care labs, and in-office procedures for individuals, families, and employer groups.
• Prenatal and Pregnancy Care Plan Prenatal and OB care program with hospital delivery privileges at Mission Hospital. Includes $160/month Prenatal Plan covering 4 trimesters plus $800 delivery fee. Available at Asheville Downtown (Dr. Knoll) and Asheville South (Dr. Doiron).
• Health Coaching
• Wholesale Prescription Medications
• Specialty Lab Testing
• Vaccination Services
• Imaging Referrals
• Virtual Specialist E-Consultation
• Employer Benefits Plans

Quantifiable outcome

• NPS Score of 96
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Sona PharmacycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Local innovative pharmacy partner providing Lantern members access to over 300 medications at wholesale prices. Members receive significant discounts compared to retail pharmacy pricing.
• LabCorpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary lab partner providing comprehensive lab testing services at wholesale prices for Lantern Health members. Non point-of-care and specialty labs available through this partnership.
• Quest DiagnosticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdditional primary lab partner providing comprehensive testing services at wholesale prices for members.
• InvitaesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialty lab partner for genetic and specialized testing services at negotiated wholesale pricing.
• Genova DiagnosticssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialty lab partner for functional medicine and specialized diagnostic testing at wholesale prices.
• Thea HealthcoreTechnology or IntegrationVirtual specialist e-consultation platform integrated into membership benefits, providing members access to specialist guidance without additional cost.
• VaxCaresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVaccination partner maintaining supply of CDC-recommended vaccines with coverage through most insurance plans. Wholesale cash prices also available.
• Mission HospitalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal hospital where Lantern physicians maintain OB privileges for prenatal care and deliveries.
• Hint ConnectcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational network of direct primary care practices enabling Lantern Health to serve employers with multiple locations or distributed workforces across the country.
• Mission Health (Former)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLantern Health was originally founded in 2017 as Mission Health's 'Innovation Clinic' under the name Avenu Health. Divested from HCA/Mission in February 2020 and became independent.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Atlas MD: Pioneering Direct Primary Care practice in Wichita, KS offering a flat monthly membership with unlimited visits, wholesale meds, and labs — virtually identical model and GTM to Lantern Health, though more mature and single-market focused.
• Nextera Healthcare: Colorado-based DPC and direct specialty care practice operating multiple clinic locations with employer and individual membership models — same DPC subscription structure, multi-site footprint, and employer B2B motion as Lantern.
• Everside Health: National employer-focused advanced primary care platform (formerly Paladina Health) delivering membership-style primary care to employer groups — directly comparable to Lantern's B2B employer motion and DPC membership economics.

Broad incumbents

• One Medical (Amazon): Membership-based primary care platform acquired by Amazon, offering in-person plus 24/7 virtual care with transparent pricing across many U.S. metros — competes with Lantern on concierge-style primary care but at vastly larger scale and with insurance billing alongside membership.
• MDVIP: National network of concierge/membership primary care physicians offering personalized, low-panel-size care for an annual fee — broader incumbent in the concierge medicine category adjacent to DPC, with similar patient-experience economics but a different payment model.

Emerging players

• Forward Health: Tech-forward membership primary care startup combining in-person visits with at-home health monitoring and an app-based experience — overlaps Lantern on membership-based, tech-enabled primary care, though more capital-intensive and at earlier maturity.
• Parsley Health: Membership-based functional and integrative medicine practice with a strong virtual care delivery model — comparable to Lantern on whole-person/lifestyle-medicine positioning and recurring membership revenue, but primarily virtual.
• Included Health: Employer-sponsored integrated virtual care and care-navigation platform — competes for the same employer benefits dollar that Lantern targets, though with virtual-first primary care rather than in-clinic DPC.
• PlushCare: Online primary care provider offering subscription-style virtual visits with employed physicians — partial overlap with Lantern's telemedicine and membership offering, but no in-person clinic footprint.

Others

• Hint Health: DPC software platform and operator of the Hint Connect network, of which Lantern is a member — adjacent ecosystem participant and channel partner rather than a competitor, but the most directly comparable business model in DPC infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LanternDPC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lantern-health

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lantern Health