Being part of MDVC has provided tremendous value and opportunities for our practice to collaborate with the other MDVC members. We have built on existing relationships and established new ones with the physicians, nurses, and staff at both primary care and specialty practices. In addition, being a member of MDVC has led to other benefits, including:

1. Highlighted the importance of coordinating referrals to ensure our patients receive the necessary evaluations, testing, and feedback for improving their care.
   We have implemented changes to streamline our referral process, including enhancing our referral sheet to increase care coordination, and moved to electronic referrals with several MDVC practices. This has engendered an environment of co-management and prosperous relationships among the practices in MDVC, which will create many benefits for years to come.
2. Paved the way for future service opportunities.
   Being part of a large group of well-recognized and highly reputable practices has increased our exposure to the healthcare market in central Virginia. We now have more opportunities to expand our services, which enables us to reach even more patients in need.
3. Encouraged us to establish a “care compact” to better serve our patients with congestive heart failure.
   Our physicians are now working closely with primary care physicians to ensure that patients who have congestive heart failure will experience a seamless transition when referred from their primary care physician to one of our cardiologists. The care compact demonstrates the commitment of specialists to provide quality consultations and communications to primary care physicians in MDVC.

In general, being part of MDVC has further solidified our commitment to provide our patients with the best possible care. We look forward to the collaboration opportunities that the future with MDVC brings.

About the Author: Ann Honeycutt has served as the Executive Director at Virginia Cardiovascular Specialists, the region’s largest independent cardiology practice and a member of MD Value Care, for over fifteen years. She has served in numerous roles in healthcare for over 30 years including the CEO for Stuart Circle Hospital and Executive Director for St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, VA. Ann is the Administrative liaison for the VA Chapter of the ACC and has served on the Cardiology Advocacy Board (CAA) since inception in 2005 and was President in 2007.