VillageMD, a national health care provider, recently announced its expansion to Kentucky. The organization is partnering with Murray-based Primary Care Medical Center to launch the program in the Commonwealth. VillageMD’s model of care is focused on improving clinical outcomes and controlling health care costs while reducing the growing administrative burdens facing today’s primary care physicians.

Medical News spoke with Dr. Bob Hughes, managing partner of Primary Care Medical Center,  about the launch of VillageMD-Kentucky and what it means for the future of health care in Kentucky.

Medical News: Why is VillageMD interested in expanding into Kentucky?

VillageMD: VillageMD is a growing organization, and they are in two bordering states to Kentucky-Indiana and Illinois. Their comprehensive, low tech, high touch medical model backed data analytics is perfect for managing chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Kentucky has a high incidence of both of these chronic illnesses and others thus making VillageMD’s model of care a good fit for Kentucky.

Medical News: Why did Primary Care Medical Center partner with VillageMD to form VillageMD-Kentucky?

VillageMD: Primary Care Medical Center chose to partner with VillageMD after looking and meeting with other potential partners for over three years.  We were looking for a company that had an excellent reputation with proven results that could help us prepare for the change from a volume based reimbursement system to a value based system which will be mandatory in 2019.  This partnership will help us to start deliver high value care now.

Medical News: How do you see VillageMD-Kentucky improving the way physicians practice in Kentucky?

VillageMD: VillageMD will help physicians in KY improve their care now by co-locating care managers in the offices now to improve upon the continuity of care.  The doctor will be able to deliver or coordinate the entire continuum of care to their patients and back this improvement up with analytics to show the quality and value of this delivery system.

Medical News: Are there specific types of physicians that will benefit from working with VillageMD?

VillageMD: The entire healthcare system and the patients will benefit from this model; however, it is a system that focuses on primary care physicians (family practice, internal medicine, and pediatrics) to give them the resources to deliver high-quality and high-value  care.

Medical News: What is unique about the VillageMD model and how will it improve care to Kentucky patients?

VillageMD: What is unique about VillageMD is that they put “boots on the ground” care managers and extra resources in the doctor’s office at the point of care to insure the delivery of seamless care without gaps as the patient moves through the healthcare delivery system.  This will be especially helpful in Kentucky where we have a high incidence of a lot of severe chronic illnesses him that require this intensity of care to deliver better outcomes.

Medical News: How do you hope to impact the Kentucky healthcare system, as it continues to evolve?

VillageMD: I hope to impact the care of Kentuckians in a big way.  I know this state well, and I know a lot of the healthcare problems from both the patients, the providers, and the delivery systems level.  This delivery model of putting resources that are low tech, high touch, backed up by data analytics is perfect for Kentucky.  I hope with VillageMD ‘s help to change a lot of the unfavorable healthcare statistics, and consequently improve the health and welfare of our state.

Medical News: What do you want VillageMD-Kentucky to look like in 5 years?

VillageMD: In five years, I hope to see VillageMD’s model spread across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  I want it to be a fully evolved system that takes care of all of the patients’ needs by delivering the best high-value services across the continuum of acute care, chronic care, behavioral health sciences care, and home based care.  I hope to see a seamless system where all of the patients’ needs are addressed and well-coordinated where nothing falls through the cracks.  Both quality and value will be optimal.