The United States spends more per capita on health care than any other country in the world, yet its health care results, measured by outcomes, are middle-tier, according to John Woolley, CEO and founder of Vamos Health.

He believes the flaw in the system is that it is fundamentally incentivized to produce poor outcomes.

“A provider gets paid for every time they do something. And the reality of health care is primary care docs are not making money,” Woolley said. “Where the money is, is in expensive hospital stays and expensive procedures. And so that’s the incentive in the system is to have as expensive stuff as possible. And so there’s not really incentive to do really high-quality primary care and preventative care.”

Vamos Health is attempting to chart what Woolley calls “a better way” by providing a system where patients get care through a subscriber-based model that provides better preventative care.

The private health care clinic, which caters to English- and Spanish-speaking residents, opened an Orem location in January and held a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.

In attendance were city leaders from Orem and members of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce, including President and CEO Curtis Blair, who expressed his support for the new business.

“It is important to be rethinking how health care is delivered to our communities,” Blair said. “We need to make it affordable. We need to make it accessible. We need to make it more transparent. We need to make it more personal.”

Vamos Health first started in West Valley City in 2024 and has also expanded to Ogden and Phoenix. Woolley said the Orem location has grown to nearly 300 members since it opened two months ago.

A membership is $84.99 a month and $49.99 for a child with no family attached, and $39.99 for a child if another family member has subscribed, Woolley said. The fee goes down to $29.99 per child after the third child and $19.99 per child after the sixth child in the family, he added. Walk-ins and individuals with insurance are also welcome.

Woolley said the Orem clinic is staffed by PAs and nurse practitioners and that 40% to 50% of visits are preventative. The clinic provides primary and urgent care as well as services for family planning, women’s health, diabetes, migraines and occupational health, among others.

“We believe in a system where preventative medicine is easy to access and it’s included in what you’re paying for, so that there are no barriers to getting that preventative care, so that we can catch problems early and keep costs low and keep you healthier,” he said.

At Vamos, Woolley said there’s an emphasis on providers building relationships with patients and that providers will sit down with patients for a full 30 minutes.

“We want to know what your health goals are, and then we’re going to write those down, and we’re going to follow up with you to help you achieve your goals in your life,” he said.

For health needs that go beyond the clinic’s care, Woolley said Vamos will help the patient find insurance or work with other health care providers to get them the necessary care.