Losing weight and keeping it off is rarely just about willpower. Your metabolism, hormones, sleep, medications, thyroid and blood sugar all have a say, and they're far easier to sort out with a doctor who has time for the whole picture and who's still your doctor a year from now. At Burkhart Direct Family Care in Knoxville, medical weight loss is part of your ongoing primary care, not a side program you sign up for separately.

Dr. William Burkhart is a board-certified family physician on Kingston Pike in West Knoxville. He offers physician-supervised medical weight management as part of the Direct Primary Care relationship, so the plan is built around your health, your history and your goals rather than a one-size-fits-all package.

It is one part of the practice's full list of services.

Weight management with your own physician

A lot of weight-loss offers are transactional: a prescription, a monthly charge, and not much else. What's usually missing is a doctor who knows the rest of your health and sticks with you over time.

Here, the doctor guiding your weight management is the same one watching your blood pressure, your labs, your medications and your yearly physical. That matters, because weight, metabolism and overall health are tied together, and treatment decisions are safer when one person sees all of it at once.

What a medical weight-loss plan can involve

A plan starts with a full history, a physical exam and the right lab work, followed by an honest conversation about your goals and what's realistic for you. Every plan is built around the individual.

For some patients, that plan may include GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide or tirzepatide. Whether medication makes sense for you, and which option fits, comes down to your health, your history and what you want. You decide it together with Dr. Burkhart, rather than ticking a box on a form. Like any medication, these carry potential risks and side effects, and he'll go through them with you directly.

How this works within your membership

Burkhart Direct Family Care runs on a simple monthly membership. There's no insurance billing, no copay, and no charge for Dr. Burkhart's time. Members are never billed for a visit.

Evaluation visits, follow-up visits and the physician time involved are covered by your membership
Laboratory testing is available at wholesale pricing, which is usually a fraction of the insurance-billed price
Point-of-care testing is available in the office
Any prescribed medication is filled at your local pharmacy, so the medication itself is a pharmacy cost rather than a practice charge
You reach Dr. Burkhart directly by text or phone, 24/7, for the questions that come up between visits

For the full picture of what is and is not included, see how membership works.

Lab testing and monitoring

Good weight management means checking in on how your body is responding, and what that involves depends on your plan and your health. Because members get wholesale pricing on labs and the office runs point-of-care testing on site, that follow-up stays simple instead of turning into a stack of separate bills and referrals.

What this costs

Monthly membership rates depend on your age and household size, and the current pricing is listed in full on the Burkhart Direct Family Care membership page.

There is a one-time registration fee of $175, charged at your first office visit. It covers everyone in your household who registers within the same 30-day period. Monthly fees begin one calendar month after that first visit.

Beyond membership, your costs are any medication at your pharmacy and any laboratory work at wholesale pricing. Nothing else is billed.

If you would prefer to be evaluated before committing to membership, a one-time consultation is available for $175 and includes a full history and physical examination.

Call (865) 540-6857

Common questions

Does Burkhart Direct Family Care offer medical weight loss?

Yes. Dr. Burkhart offers physician-supervised medical weight management as part of ongoing primary care. Care is individualised, and for some patients a plan may include GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide or tirzepatide when appropriate.

Do I need health insurance?

No. Health insurance is not required to become a patient. The practice does not bill insurance and does not charge copays.

Can I use HSA funds?

HSA funds can be used for medications, laboratory work, imaging and other healthcare costs. They cannot be used to purchase the membership itself, because a Direct Primary Care membership is a healthcare service rather than a healthcare plan.

Where do I get the medication?

Any prescribed medication is filled at your local pharmacy at pharmacy cost.

Where is the office?

9724 Kingston Pike, Suite 302, Knoxville, TN 37922, in West Knoxville.

Is the practice accepting new patients?

Availability is limited by design, so the panel is capped at 500 patients. Call to check current availability.

You can read more about insurance, HSA and Medicare questions on our FAQ page.

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Getting started

Call (865) 540-6857 during business hours, or send us a message and we'll reply as soon as we can. Your first visit is a full history and physical exam, plus an honest conversation about whether medical weight loss is the right step for you.

This page provides general information about services offered at Burkhart Direct Family Care. It is not medical advice and does not establish a physician-patient relationship. Medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide have risks and are not appropriate for everyone; treatment decisions are made individually, in person, after evaluation.