Doctors Care, MUSC Health partner to facilitate health care access

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Doctors Care and MUSC Health have agreed to an affiliation to provide patients with increased access to care throughout the Lowcountry and Grand Strand.

The partnership includes primary, urgent, specialty and emergency care. Ten Doctors Care urgent care locations in the tri-county are included in the affiliation.

A news release issued by MUSC Health said the primary goal of the new agreement is to decrease unnecessary emergency room visits and to ease patients’ transition to specialty services. The affiliation will allow for referrals from Doctors Care to MUSC Health providers if patients do not have a preference, plus connections throughout electronic health records.

MUSC and Doctors Care have launched educational efforts to assist staff and patients with decisions about where to seek treatment.

“This collaborative effort strengthens the relationship we’ve already built with MUSC as a health care partner in the Charleston region and our commitment to serving patients in those communities.” Doctors Care President and Chief Medical Officer Curtis Franke said in the release. “We look forward to growing the footprint of our affiliation to include the entire coastal region of the state and working hand in hand with MUSC to increase access to all levels of treatment for residents in these regions.” 

Terrence E. Steyer, chief of the MUSC Health Primary Care Integrated Center of Clinical Excellence, said access to health care is a top patient concern.

“We are pleased to work collaboratively with our colleagues at Doctors Care to provide education and information to help patients make the best care decisions possible,” Steyer said in the release. “Our goal is to improve the health of South Carolinians by working together.”