Ramstad: This St. Paul doctor opened a medical clinic. She doesn’t take insurance.

This time last year, Dr. Michelle Chestovich was coping with the shock of hearing that she had cancer in both breasts. She had left family practice five years earlier to become a coach for physicians, helping her peers in their 40s and 50s navigate all types of stress, including the sense that they never had enough time for their patients. When it came time to meet a surgeon for her own bilateral mastectomy in 2025, Chestovich got a surprise: Dr. Elizabeth O’Leary met with her for two hours. That experience planted an idea. Once Chestovich got through her own cancer treatments, she would go back into practice to help women through perimenopause and menopausal challenges, including an increased risk of developing cancer. Advertisement “I thought, I am going to start a clinic and do it differently because this is complex stuff and women deserve more than 15 minutes,” Chestovich said, referring to the typical block of billable time at clinics and hospitals. First, she wanted to spend a long time with patients, at least an hour. And second, she didn’t want to deal with insurance, which often slows down treatments while also giving patients less time with their doctors. Through last winter and spring, Chestovich went through what she called the “trifecta” of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. This fall, she had reconstruction surgery. She said she’s cancer-free and taking a daily drug to prevent recurrence. In September, she opened her practice the old-fashioned way. And I mean, the very old-fashioned way: Patients are charged fees they learn about ahead of time. An hour-long initial visit is priced at $525. She takes cash and checks.