VCU news

By Anne Buckley

The Virginia Commonwealth University Health System is adding an option for patients who seek more individualized primary care. For patients requesting such services, the VCU Health System will recommend PartnerMD, a membership medical practice that specializes in primary care medicine and executive health.

“This is another addition to the range of medical care that we are able to offer our patients,” said VCU Health System CEO Sheldon Retchin, M.D. “The doctors in our physician practice, MCV Physicians, want to bolster the scope and quality of the services we can offer. PartnerMD has impressed us both in terms of its clinical capabilities and the array of amenities that it provides.”

The PartnerMD concept — sometimes called "concierge" medicine — is based on paid membership in the medical practice, which allows access to additional amenities. Founded in 2003, the Richmond-based PartnerMD is now the largest operation of its kind in the area. Its physicians focus on wellness and prevention and emphasize individualized care.

"We have more than 3,800 members who enjoy 24/7 access to their physicians. This new arrangement with the VCU Health System will make our services even more widely available,” said Linda Nash, founder and CEO of PartnerMD.

The VCU Health System will begin to recommend PartnerMD to patients on Dec.1. There are no contracts or financial remunerations involved in the arrangement.

“Our purpose is to meet our patients’ expectations for excellent care and to assure that continuity of our patient relationships is maintained,” said John D. Ward, M.D., president of MCV Physicians.

James Mumper, M.D., medical director of PartnerMD, said he is pleased that the VCU Health System "has affirmed our unique approach to primary care and executive health, and we look forward to working more closely together."

The VCU Health System operates the VCU Medical Center, one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. It offers state-of-the-art care in more than 200 specialty areas, many of national and international note, including organ transplantation, head and spinal cord trauma, burn healing and cancer treatment. The center also is the site for the region’s only Level 1 Trauma facility.

PartnerMD’s headquarters are in Richmond, with additional locations in Central and Northern Virginia. The company focuses on disease prevention and health maintenance, coupled with a unique commitment to patient relationships with their doctors, including direct cell phone access and no-wait appointments.

PartnerMD has a 96 percent patient member retention rate and provides executive health and wellness for a large number of high-profile corporations and individuals.