As the biggest health care organization serving eastern and northern Maine continues to reel from financial challenges, some of its employees are striking out on their own.

Two pairs of former Northern Light Health nurses have opened independent clinics this summer using a model called direct primary care that’s growing in popularity in Maine and beyond.

They take smaller patient loads for a flat monthly fee instead of billing insurance, and offer primary care services with easier scheduling and more time to spend in appointments than their former systems allowed.

The model is a response to problems facing health care as a whole, providers say, and they argue it can fill gaps in the traditional system while offering preventative care. It comes as Maine struggles with a shortage of heal

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