MDVIP Launches Preventive Medicine Pilot Program For Uninsured In Northern Virginia

Main Category: Preventive Medicine
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 25 Jun 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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On the heels of a successful partnership between MDVIP and Project Access in Palm Beach County, Florida, MDVIP will now roll out their second initiative to support the uninsured community in Northern Virginia. In collaboration with The INOVA Health Systems and Project Access of Northern Virginia (PANV), four of the local MDVIP-affiliated physicians will participate in a pilot program to provide services to uninsured patients who have diabetes, cardiovascular disease or may be considered a high-risk patient for either chronic condition.

Without comprehensive primary care, these patients would be treated episodically either at a county clinic or an ER for services considered under the umbrella of primary care management. Project Access is a program designed to provide medical care for uninsured people in Northern Virginia and reduce emergency care requirements.

"We wondered what happened to uninsured patients once they were treated and stabilized after emergency episodes, and we discovered that many are virtually discharged with no follow-up care. Typically, patients in the Project Access of Northern Virginia program require a good deal of follow-up, and without ongoing medical treatment, many emergency treatments will become chronic events," says Dr. Edward Goldman, co-founder of the MDVIP nationwide network of doctors specializing in preventive medicine. "Since the program was launched in Florida eighteen months ago, our participants have dramatically reduced ER visits. We're excited to duplicate these results in Northern Virginia."

The goals of the program are to:

- Best manage the chronic disease of these patients
- Offer early detection and wellness to the at-risk patient
- Prevent or slow the progression of the disease over the long-term offering the best level of health to these patients
- Free up the resources for true medical emergencies at the INOVA Health Systems

While most primary care doctors have 2,000-3,000 patients, MDVIP-affiliated physicians limit their practices to about 600 patients in order to offer more personalized and preventive healthcare. MDVIP patients pay a membership fee of typically $1,500 annually for MDVIP's personalized healthcare, including a comprehensive annual evaluation which includes the identification of risk factors that predict the diseases a person are most likely to develop, based upon personal and family history, genetics, lifestyle, habits and occupation. It includes laboratory testing, an EKG and screenings related to mental status, exercise, nutrition and sleep; vision, hearing and pulmonary function testing; and a review of all medication, with a subsequent coordinated wellness plan. The participants in the MDVIP Project Access pilot group will receive these services at no charge.

"Project Access of Northern Virginia is very excited about our partnership with MDVIP, as it will provide additional primary care access points for the most vulnerable in our community," said Claudia Tellez, Director, Project Access of Northern Virginia.

The preventive medicine pilot program will initially serve about 50 Northern Virginia low-income, uninsured patients in Alexandria and Fairfax Counties. Additionally, MDVIP plans to develop essential data that shows how this model can reduce costs to the system and improve healthcare for the uninsured, as it has in MDVIP-affiliated practices nationally.

Source
Project Access of Northern Virginia