News

Pardee, Blue Ridge Health pursuing new cooperative arrangement

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 31, 2022

Pardee UNC Health Care and Blue Ridge Health announced this month that Pardee is seeking subrecipient status within Blue Ridge Health’s designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center.

The two organizations are pursuing an intentional extension of their existing collaboration, allowing them to continue innovation to reduce gaps in care, create a more seamless delivery model, and improve patient outcomes. Although the subrecipient model is not commonly used in North Carolina, HRSA intentionally created this model to foster collaboration among existing health partners–like Pardee and BRH–allowing each to remain their own separate entity.
“Blue Ridge Health and Pardee UNC Health Care have a history of working together to improve care for the patients we both serve and train the next generation of health care providers,” said Richard Hudspeth, MD, CEO for Blue Ridge Health. “Through our partnership with MAHEC we created the first federally funded Teaching Health Center in NC. The Family Medicine residents we train to deliver babies and practice inpatient and outpatient medicine have already created a vibrant academic medicine program at Pardee.” BRH has retained the Family Medicine graduates in an effort to fill the physician shortage in rural WNC.
Pardee and Blue Ridge Health work collaboratively to provide inpatient pediatric services at Pardee through BRH-Rainbow Pediatrics and the Family Medicine Residency Program. Additionally, Pardee provides financial support to BRH, including physical space to support the Residency Program and an in-house BRH pharmacy. “It is with our community in mind that we are undertaking this unique collaboration,” adds Hudspeth.
“Pardee has long provided charity care that serves not only Blue Ridge Health patients but patients throughout WNC,” said Jay Kirby, president and CEO of Pardee UNC Health Care. “The data indicates that while improvements have been made under existing partnerships there is still a need for more intentional work. Our collaboration with Blue Ridge Health will compel us to continue to be the best that we can as individual health organizations while sharing our innovations for even greater benefit for our patients.”
Hudspeth noted that hospitals in WNC have frequently realized the benefits of collaborating with FQHCs adding that Blue Ridge Health will continue to collaborate with hospitals and healthcare organizations to create better opportunities. “Blue Ridge Health will be an invaluable resource to Pardee as they incorporate the benefits of an FQHC into their health care model,” said Hudspeth. “Just as we have with Pardee, BRH has maintained — and will continue to maintain — multiple partnerships with hospitals and healthcare organizations throughout WNC to create better opportunities for health. The work that has been done together already has improved care and saved lives. We look forward to seeing this work continue.”