About
Dr. Paula Frantz grew up in Kansas, earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education, and once milked cows on a central Kansas dairy. She completed her pre-med coursework at Kansas State University, then earned her MD from The Ohio State University, College of Medicine in Columbus. Her residency in Family Practice took place at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, where she served as Chief Resident in her final year.
After residency, Dr. Frantz completed a two-year public health assignment in Norwood and Naturita, Colorado. She then built a long career in Sterling, spending nearly eight years in the emergency department at Sterling Regional Med Center. She went on to serve almost nine years with the Colorado Department of Corrections, five of those as Chief Medical Officer, followed by three years at Colorado Plains Physicians Practices. In 2015, she founded Inspire Health Direct Primary Care to practice medicine the way she believed it should work: patient-centered, unhurried, and transparent. She holds a particular clinical focus on chronic pain, fibromyalgia, back pain, headaches, and cancer care. Outside the office, she lives near Fleming, Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and four farm cats. She tends a garden, watches birds, stargazes, knits prolifically, and has two grown children.
Education & Training
Undergraduate
Kansas State University, pre-med (B.S. in Elementary Education, Kansas native)
Medical School
The Ohio State University, College of Medicine
Residency
Family Practice, University of Missouri, Kansas City (Chief Resident, final year)
Additional Training
2-year public health stint in Norwood and Naturita, CO
Conditions Treated
Who is Dr. Frantz right for?
Dr. Frantz works well with patients of any age who want a physician who takes time to explain, teach, and involve them in decisions. Adults managing chronic conditions like fibromyalgia, back pain, or headaches benefit from her thoughtful, non-narcotic approach to pain management. Patients who value direct communication, including texting or emailing their doctor, find her practice a natural fit. Families looking to cover children and adults under one affordable membership also thrive in her practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dr. Frantz focuses on family medicine across all ages, with particular experience in chronic pain, fibromyalgia, back pain, headaches, and cancer care. She also handles routine and preventive care, well-child checks, physicals, and minor procedures like wound care and skin biopsies.
Dr. Frantz believes physical therapy, exercise, topical treatments, chiropractic care, non-narcotic medications, and cognitive behavioral therapy offer the best path for managing chronic pain. She does not prescribe ongoing narcotics for conditions like back pain, headaches, or fibromyalgia. Patients who require chronic daily narcotics need to work with a pain specialist for those prescriptions.
Yes, Dr. Frantz accepts new patients at Inspire Health Direct Primary Care in Sterling, Colorado. She serves patients from birth onward, regardless of age or gender. Prospective patients can sign up directly through the practice's online enrollment portal.
Dr. Frantz earned her MD from The Ohio State University, College of Medicine. She completed her Family Practice residency at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, where she served as Chief Resident in her final year. She also completed a two-year public health assignment in rural Colorado after residency.
No, Dr. Frantz does not prescribe medical marijuana. Her medication philosophy centers on evidence-based, non-narcotic approaches to pain and chronic conditions.
Dr. Frantz has practiced in Sterling, Colorado for decades. She spent nearly eight years in the emergency department at Sterling Regional Med Center before her work with the Colorado Department of Corrections and later at Colorado Plains Physicians Practices. She founded Inspire Health Direct Primary Care in Sterling in 2015.
Yes. Dr. Frantz gives patients direct access by text, email, and cell phone. This direct line is a core part of how Inspire Health Direct Primary Care operates, and it comes included in the monthly membership.
Dr. Frantz performs EKGs, pulmonary function testing, minor wound care, and minor skin excisions and biopsies in the office. She also conducts Commercial Drivers License physicals, well-child checks, and a full range of health exams and physicals.
Doctor profile last updated April 11, 2026