AccessHealth Providing Award-Winning, Patient-Centered Care for Fort Bend


AccessHealth team members Gelatia Tesfaye, DDS; Jimmy Robertson, MD; David Krusleski, MD, CMO; Stasha Lewis, MD; Carol Edwards, CEO; Varghese Joseph, MD; Brenda Mallett, NP; Mehjabin Parkar, MD; Michael Lawson, MD; Pamela Liang, MD; Vanessa Ruiz, DDS; Nishit Shah, MD and Amber Garcia, DDS.

AccessHealth team members Gelatia Tesfaye, DDS; Jimmy Robertson, MD; David Krusleski, MD, CMO; Stasha Lewis, MD; Carol Edwards, CEO; Varghese Joseph, MD; Brenda Mallett, NP; Mehjabin Parkar, MD; Michael Lawson, MD; Pamela Liang, MD; Vanessa Ruiz, DDS; Nishit Shah, MD and Amber Garcia, DDS.

Cover Story |Photos by Nesossi Studios –

Take a quick survey of friends, neighbors and employers, and ask them what they feel are the most important issues facing our community today. Odds are many responses will include concerns regarding health care – quality health care that is both affordable and accessible.

Fortunately for Fort Bend, a vital organization dedicated to excellence in providing integrated health care services to improve the quality of life in our community is meeting our health care needs, and they are doing so by being the best.

Excellence in Health Care
200-ncqaSetting – and achieving – the standards for excellence in patient-centered health care is Richmond’s AccessHealth.  The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently announced that AccessHealth’s Richmond Center received Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long-term, participative relationships.

The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients’ experience of care and reduce costs. Medical homes foster ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each patient’s care is overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the health care system. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care.

Brenda Mallet, RN, PNP and patient Dylan Hill.

Brenda Mallet, RN, PNP and patient Dylan Hill.

“NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology and coordinated care focused on patients,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Recognition shows that AccessHealth has the tools, systems and resources to provide its patients with the right care at the right time.”

What this recognition means for the community is a proven, team approach for providing long-term health care, something that CEO Carol Edwards is passionate about. “Our goal at AccessHealth is for our patients to achieve a personal state of wellness through the highest quality services provided with compassion, competence and integrity,” said Edwards. “We strive to address patients’ physical, social and psychological needs through collaboration. Our care providers, employees, volunteers and board members all collaborate with patients, their families and other community organizations to achieve our mission of excellence in providing integrated health care services.  This recognition is an important milestone in our organization emphasizing our commitment to excellence – recognition we achieved as a team.  I couldn’t be more proud.”

To earn the PCMH Recognition, which is valid for three years, AccessHealth demonstrated the ability to meet the program’s key elements, embodying characteristics of the medical home. NCQA standards aligned with the joint principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home established with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association.

More Patients Served Than Ever Before

Patient Lizzy Whitmire and Nishit Shah, MD.

Patient Lizzy Whitmire and Nishit Shah, MD.

The PCMH Recognition announcement comes at a time when AccessHealth is serving unprecedented numbers of patients to meet a growing demand for services. From 2011 to 2014, the number of patients served by AccessHealth increased by 37%, and the growth trend is continuing well into 2015. AccessHealth served 16,348 patients in 2014, which demonstrates a 12% increase over the 14,533 patients served in 2013, as illustrated below:

 In 2012, AccessHealth served 13,474 patients.

 In 2013, AccessHealth served 14,533 patients.

 In 2014, AccessHealth served 16,348 patients.

The number of patient visits to AccessHealth in 2014 was 53,767, yet another unprecedented number and a 15% increase over the 41,346 patient visits in 2013. In addition to patients served at its five clinics, AccessHealth also served 28,427 clients at its 12 Women, Infants and Children (WIC) sites in 2014.

Patient Evelyn Mercado and Mehjabin Pakar, MD.

Patient Evelyn Mercado and Mehjabin Pakar, MD.

To meet increased demand, AccessHealth expanded its number of WIC sites and added a fifth clinic in 2014. The new clinic is a school-based clinic at Fort Bend ISD’s Ridgemont Early Childhood Development Center, where AccessHealth serves Head Start and Early Head Start participants, as well as Ridgemont Elementary students and their siblings.

AccessHealth has also increased its hours of operation to meet the demand for health care services, adding evening and Saturday hours.  The expanded hours of operation at the main Center in Richmond, located at 400 Austin Street, are:  7 am to 7 pm, Monday through Friday and Saturdays from 8 am to noon.

Leading for the Future

AccessHealth board president Lisa Wood.

AccessHealth board president Lisa Wood.

As AccessHealth’s clinical staff works to serve more patients, the executive leadership and board of directors are working to identify sources of revenue that can help sustain the increased level of service delivery.  AccessHealth serves patients regardless of a funding source that could be billed for services.  Since AccessHealth is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, foundation grants and donations from businesses, civic groups and individuals help to provide its health care services to the low-income and uninsured who likely would otherwise go without.  A majority of AccessHealth’s patients do not qualify for Medicaid benefits, which would reimburse for service fees.

Earning PCMH Recognition was a goal of AccessHealth’s executive leadership team and board of directors. AccessHealth’s board includes members with a history of dedicated service to the organization, as well as community and business leaders who are relatively new to AccessHealth and equally eager to contribute.

AccessHealth board members collectively bring to the organization experience in health care delivery and non-profit leadership, as well as business, legal and financial expertise.  Together, the board of directors and staff leadership team are leading the organization in working towards its mission of providing integrated health care services to improve the quality of life in the communities it serves.

Diverse, Professional Leadership: A Dedicated Board

Widespread, dedicated community support for AccessHealth is evident by their newly elected board members, who hail from across the county and have a combined nearly 30 years’ experience dedicated to the organization.  Effective July 1st, AccessHealth’s newly elected board officers include:

Lisa Wood, President − Commercial Lender and AccessHealth board member since 2013.

Brian Machart, DDS, Vice President – Dentist and AccessHealth board member since 2014.

Lionel Martin, Secretary – Retired Educator and AccessHealth board member since 2014.

Olaniyi Oyedele, Treasurer – Certified Public Accountant and AccessHealth board member since 2014.

Other dedicated board members include:

Francisco Ramirez – Attorney, Previous Board President and AccessHealth board member since 2001.

Myrta I. Torres – Outreach Coordinator, Previous Board Vice President and AccessHealth board member since 2011.

Carolyn Fields – Retired Educator and AccessHealth board member since 2014.

George Kuebler – Pastor Emeritus and AccessHealth board member since 2014.

Melissa Martin – Attorney and AccessHealth board member since 2014.

Priscilla Salas – Financial Aid Counselor and AccessHealth board member since 2014.

David Timmermeyer – Commercial Banker and AccessHealth board member since 2015.

For more information regarding AccessHealth’s board of directors or volunteer opportunities, visit www.myaccesshealth.org.

“With our unprecedented growth – and now success earning PCMH Recognition from NCQA – preparing for the future of AccessHealth is more important than ever,” said board president Lisa Wood.  “As a board, we are committed to leading and growing this organization so that everyone in our community – regardless of their ability to pay – has access to quality, sustainable health care.”

300-serviceAccessHealth’s board of directors has accepted the challenge of identifying and implementing long-term solutions to these issues.  AccessHealth has positioned itself to meet the demand for services by leveraging community partnerships, expanding service capacity, increasing staff as needed and adding service lines to meet community needs.

Earning PCMH Recognition status from NCQA is an important milestone for AccessHealth as it works to meet health care needs in the communities it serves.  NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s website, ncqa.org, contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

For more information regarding AccessHealth’s Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition or AccessHealth, visit www.myaccesshealth.org.