VCU news

By Elisabeth Gabrynowicz
Virginia Premier

Virginia Premier and Kaiser Permanente are collaborating to create a fully integrated health care experience for Virginia residents receiving care through Medicaid.

Under this collaboration, Kaiser Permanente’s health care services will continue to be available to its current Medicaid members in Virginia through Virginia Premier, the second largest Medicaid-managed care organization in Virginia. This collaboration will also provide residents who are newly eligible for Medicaid through Virginia’s Medicaid expansion to have access to one of the highest quality integrated health systems in the country.

Beginning Oct. 1, Virginia Premier and Kaiser Permanente will provide health care to Kaiser Permanente’s 15,000 members in Virginia assigned to Medallion 4.0 by the Department of Medical Assistance Services. These Kaiser Permanente members will become Virginia Premier members with Kaiser Permanente as their primary care provider. They will have access to physician care, online appointments and care, and medical centers designed with their needs in mind.

“We’re always open to innovative, strategic partnerships that enable us to increase access to affordable, quality health care for Virginians, and this is an excellent opportunity to do that,” said Linda Hines, CEO of Virginia Premier. “By working with Kaiser Permanente, we’ll be able to serve moremembers, with expanded choices. It allows us to make the greatest impact to the health of our members.”

 “Through this collaboration with Virginia Premier, our current members and new members will have access to our award-winning physicians and combination of high-quality care and coverage,” said Kim Horn, president of Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States. “We are excited to join Virginia Premier as we work to provide our outstanding care to more Virginians.”

Members will receive a new ID card. Kaiser Permanente members affected by this collaboration will be transferred to the new plan and their primary care physician will remain the same.

The collaboration will be effective in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. (Note that these areas are not entirely co-extensive with the area the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services defines as “Northern Virginia.”) The effective date coincides with the regional rollout for Medallion 4.0 in Northern Virginia.