Holy Cross Health Partners, Your Primary Care Support System

Q&A with Rhonique Shields, MD

Rhonique Shields, MD, MHA, FAAP, is the Vice President of Medical Affairs and Practice Operations for the Holy Cross Health Network, and has direct oversight of Holy Cross Health Partners network of primary care practices.

What is comprehensive primary care and why is it essential to overall health?

Comprehensive primary care is care delivered by your medical team (a physician or nurse practitioner, nurse, medical assistant and, if needed, a clinical pharmacist or behavioral health therapist). that ensures the following:

• Offers various ways to access to care. Patients can schedule a visit with a member of their care team through the conventional face-to-face encounter or through telehealth visits. It also ensures that patients can access care advice after hours.
• Ensures coordination of care. Coordination of care means that the primary care team will collaborate with other specialty care physicians to manage chronic disease and other ailments. There is also a focus of seamless flow of medical information between all clinicians involved in a patient’s care.
• Provides transitional care management. Following a hospital discharge, the primary care team coordinates any needed testing or treatments, manages medication changes, and provides education about new diagnoses to reduce the likelihood of readmission to the hospital.
• Delivers complex care management. Patients who have a new diagnosis or multiple chronic diseases meet regularly with a nurse who works with the primary care provider to address health needs, creating a partnership in managing and stabilizing chronic disease, or other ailments.
• Identifies social influencers of health. The medical team screens patients for non-medical risk factors that would have an impact on clinical outcomes. This process identifies needs related to housing, transportation, education, legal matters, food insecurity, and more that can be addressed by the care team or referred to community resources.
• Offers team-based care. Each patient’s primary care provider is supported by a team of health professionals, reflecting a wholistic approach to care delivery.
• Reduces hospital use. Comprehensive primary care can be effective in decreasing the need for hospitalization and emergency department use.

Holy Cross Health understands that patients have multiple options. We work to provide care that is easily accessible, comprehensive and keeps the patient at the center of care.

What is the Holy Cross Health Partners network, and what makes it exceptional?

Holy Cross Health Partners is a network of primary care practices owned and operated by Holy Cross Health. Our practices are staffed by physicians and nurse practitioners who are enthusiastic and provide care with the Mission of Holy Cross Health – to be a compassionate and transforming healing presence within our communities - at the forefront of their practice.

Our providers and staff have received special training to help understand and respond to the health concerns and challenges of all our patients, including the military community. We provide convenient access to high-quality, culturally sensitive health care services that meet the specific needs of military service members, veterans, and their families. Each of our practices has a primary care focus (geriatrics, family medicine, or internal medicine). Another unique component of our practices is our nurse practitioner house calls program which primary care to home bound patients living in assisted living facilities, group homes and private residences.

As part of a larger health system including hospitals and specialized outpatient centers using a common electronic medical records system, Holy Cross Health Partners providers can securely access patient records from other sites and communicate with other providers to improve coordination of care.

With a variety of exercise, health education, screening, prevention, and self-care management programs available to people in every phase of life, Holy Cross Health is focused on helping patients achieve their optimal health goals. Many of our programs are free and are offered online and in multiple, convenient community locations throughout Montgomery County.

Can I get a same day appointment?

Same day and next day appointments can be obtained at all our sites. These appointments are available through virtual or in-person visits and can be easily made by our online appointment system using our MyChart patient portal (for existing patients), going to our website (for new patients) or calling one our locations, https://www.holycrosshealth.org/find-a-location/holy-cross-health-centers/.

What if I do not have health insurance?

Montgomery County residents who do not have health can receive care at one of our Holy Cross Health Centers. We have three locations (Gaithersburg, Aspen Hill, and Silver Spring). At our Gaithersburg location, we also service the pediatric population. Holy Cross Health is one of the largest safety-net providers in the area and the only health system in Montgomery County to operate its own health centers.

How is Holy Cross Health Partners helping to close the disparity gap and achieve health equity?

Holy Cross Health Partners works to ensure that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. We seek to identify and address disparities in outcomes among our patients based on race, ethnicity, or other sociodemographic characteristics through the following:

• Stratifying outcome data based on sociodemographic characteristics to identify to identify and address disparities.
• Providing language translation services for those patients whose primary language is not English.
• Offering after-visit summaries that can be printed in the preferred language of the patient.
• Offering specialty geriatric practice focused on care for individuals fifty and older. Board certified geriatric providers staff this practice.

What are future growth plans for Holy Cross Health Partners?

Holy Cross Health Partners currently has three practices and plans to open a fourth in downtown Silver Spring in the fall, and a fifth in the Calverton area in Prince George’s County next spring. We are planning to continue to grow our primary care network over the next five years.

How can I make an appointment?

Appointments can be made online at https://www.holycrosshealth.org/about-us/about-holy-cross-health/holy-cross-health-network or scan the QR code. We encourage new and existing patients to go online and make their first, follow-up, or preventative visit appointments today.