On September 1, all eleven Pardee UNC Health Care primary care practices serving Henderson, Buncombe and Transylvania counties will become Pardee BlueMD. The name change supports Pardee’s recent change to become a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and will be reflected in signage, communications and business literature.
Patients at Pardee BlueMD practices will continue to see their providers as they always have, with minimal changes to their overall experience, but may be asked to complete new documentation. In addition to UNC’s existing health financial assistance program, Pardee BlueMD Practices will now offer a sliding fee scale for services.
“Pardee has made the decision to work with Blue Ridge Health to expand service offerings in the communities we serve,” said Johnna Reed, BSN, MPH, executive director of Pardee UNC Health Care. “We believe our region needs and can support additional options for comprehensive, culturally appropriate and quality primary health care services. Some of the services we look forward to incorporating into our current model of care include accessibility to outpatient behavioral health, pharmacy, care management and social workers to facilitate access to community services. Pardee will be able to do even more to support individuals and families in our area who will benefit from additional resources.
Pardee UNC Health Care and Blue Ridge Health will continue their longstanding relationship and commitment to continuous innovation to reduce care gaps, create a more seamless care delivery model, and improve patient outcomes, while maintaining independence within their respective organizations. Under the FQHC model, each Pardee BlueMD practice will provide comprehensive, culturally competent, quality primary health care services to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.
Pardee UNC Health Care is a non-profit community hospital founded in 1953 and operated by UNC Health Care. The hospital is licensed for 222 acute care beds. Pardee has several locations separate from the main campus, including a comprehensive medical practice network, a cancer center, four urgent care locations, and six orthopedic clinics. For more information or to find a doctor, visit pardeehospital.org.
