An Interview with Tim Barry, VillageMD CEO: ‘We’ve Created a Model of Care that Transforms the Way Physicians and Patients Experience Healthcare’

The Vision Statement: “VillageMD and its primary care partners will help patients achieve greater health by delivering the most effective, accessible, and efficient health care in the world.”

Technology has made an incredible impact on every facet of our lives, including how we engage with the healthcare system. When it comes to transforming the way healthcare is delivered, implementing medical technology that can help improve the quality of care and operations of the organization becomes a top priority. Improvements in medical technology have made their way into every aspect of the industry – from research and diagnosis to treatments and communications – and have made their application vitally important to the advancement of medicine.

In light of the foregoing, we’re thrilled to present VillageMD.

The company is a leading provider of healthcare for organizations moving toward a primary care-led, high-value clinical model. It provides the tools, technology, operations, and support needed for physicians to drive the highest quality clinical results across a population.

VillageMD was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It has additional market locations in Texas, Georgia, New Hampshire, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Tim Barry, CEO, VillageMD, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review. Below is an excerpt.

VillageMD’s Primary Care-Led Model is a Game Changer

In our healthcare system, there are myriad patients managing multiple chronic conditions, taking several medications every day in a $3 trillion industry – but that isn’t working for them. VillageMD believes that primary care physicians (PCPs) are best positioned to quarterback care for these patients, but for too long PCPs haven’t had the support or resources they need to provide the care they know is best.

VillageMD started with a relatively simple idea: to support primary care physicians so they can practice medicine using a model that better serves patients and aligns with how they want to practice. “We know a primary care-led model that enables high-quality care, addresses the needs of the healthy and sick, and improves the lives of all within our communities has the potential to transform healthcare,” said Barry.

Today, VillageMD has evolved to deliver on that goal in several unique ways:

• docOS: VillageMD’s first-of-its-kind primary care-centered operating system, docOS^TM, unifies and normalizes patient data across EMRs, payers, hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. This technology is designed to provide physicians with insights that enable them to anticipate patient needs, intervene early, and proactively manage conditions. Built in collaboration with physicians, docOS^TM works with existing practice workflows, eliminating many unnecessary daily administrative tasks for physicians rather than creating new ones.
• Village Medical: VillageMD’s state-of-the-art Village Medical primary care clinics (launching in late 2019) will bring the VillageMD model of care to patients in convenient neighborhood locations. Patients will receive high-quality and coordinated care in their own community and adjacent to a Walgreen’s pharmacy. Physicians will get the benefit of VillageMD analytics, a team-based approach to care and support from a highly-trained staff to offset and even eliminate many time-consuming administrative tasks so they can redirect their time to practicing medicine.
• Village Medical at Home: An extension of the primary care physician’s office, Village Medical at Home brings the Village primary care model into the home of complex and chronically ill patients who are otherwise unable to receive regular care due to mobility, social or financial barriers.

Shifting to Primary Care-Led Models Required a Mindset Change

VillageMD is creating something new in a system that can be notoriously slow-moving and resistant to change. Early on, the company had to provide a lot of education on how a value-based and primary care-led model can lead to significant improvements in quality and cost outcomes. It was a struggle for some people accustomed to traditional delivery models to understand and embrace the potential for a new model of care delivery. A lot of doors that closed a few years ago are now opening as the merits of the model have been proven.

VillageMD’s Pilot Project Unfolded with no Hitches, Delivered Resounding Success

VillageMD’s first market launch was in Houston in October 2013 with an independent primary care practice of 13 physicians. This highly engaged physician body was led by Clive Fields, M.D. Already working in risk-based arrangements, these physicians needed support to provide the level of quality, cost-effective care that they knew was possible. “Partnering with us provided them with the people, resources, and technology to improve patient care,” said Barry. Since partnering with VillageMD, this market has grown to include almost 200 physicians and the group has become one of the largest primary care groups in Houston.

‘Our Commitment Speaks Volumes of the Success We Have Achieved’

“While there are several industry dynamics that provide a lot of wind at our backs, the single biggest factor shaping our organization’s roadmap is a constant commitment to making life better for the physicians and patients we serve. Every investment we make is tied to our ability to help primary care physicians deliver the best care possible to patients,” said Barry.

“We’ve created a model of care that transforms the way physicians and patients experience health care. Our vision is to help patients achieve greater health by delivering the most effective, accessible and efficient health care in the world. We know this is ambitious, but we embrace the challenge as leaders in our space and have seen results that prove it works. We’ve developed our own core values to help us continue to drive toward this vision: Get stuff done, build trust, and innovate.”

Factors that Make VillageMD Stand Out from the Competition

VillageMD focuses on three critical factors: People, partners, and passion.

• People: “We are surrounded by a team of people who are smart, dedicated and committed to achieving our vision. I am regularly astounded by the ability of our teams to push the bar higher and higher.”
• Partners: “Our primary care partners are at the core of everything we do. Engaged and devoted physician partners enable us to implement a model that makes a substantial impact on the quality and cost of health care.”
• Passion: “We are passionate about transforming healthcare and both patients and providers feel it. This passion drives us to continue innovating, changing and working non-stop toward making our vision a reality.”

Sky’s the Limit: Future Arrangements

“We will continue to implement the VillageMD model across the country in settings that best fit patients’ needs through a VillageMD partner’s practice, a Village Medical clinic, or in homes via Village Medical at Home. We are making widespread changes in how primary care is delivered while improving outcomes and reducing the total cost of care throughout our healthcare system.”

Leadership | VillageMD

Tim Barry, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer: Tim Barry is the co-founder and CEO of VillageMD. He serves as the visionary and key spokesperson for the organization. He actively advocates for primary care as the foundation of the U.S. healthcare system.

Clive Fields, M.D., Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer: Clive Fields, M.D., is the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of VillageMD. He has been spearheading value-based care as president of VillageMD’s flagship practice, Village Family Practice, since the early 1990s. Village Family Practice is a Houston-based practice with a team of more than 40 clinicians, recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for its quality of care. In 2018, Fields was honored by the American Academy of Family Physicians as the recipient of the Robert Graham Physician Executive of the Year Award.

Paul Martino, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer: Paul Martino is the co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of VillageMD. Under Paul’s strategic leadership, the organization has rapidly expanded into eight markets, grown the base of affiliated primary care physicians to approximately 2,500 and recently announced a partnership with Walgreens.

“Every investment we make is tied to our ability to help primary care physicians deliver the best care possible to patients.”