Pioneering Change: The Evolution of Riverside Medical Group
When Riverside Health leaders approached Barry L. Gross, M.D., about acquiring his practice in 1993, the idea of a health network owning community-based doctors’ offices wasn’t just uncommon. It was, as Dr. Gross puts it today, “totally unheard of.”
Riverside had acquired two family practices in Gloucester in 1989 — 35 years ago, as of Nov. 27 — and Dr. Gross’ obstetrics and gynecology practice, called Women’s Healthcare Associates, was one of the first specialties groups approached.
With early versions of managed care spreading nationally, Dr. Gross and his partner, James Mullins, M.D., decided to take the leap in 1994. However, they had one important condition: Physicians would provide governance for the group.
“We thought, ‘Who will know the needs of our physicians, our team members and our patients better?’” Dr. Gross recalls. “Thankfully, Riverside was really ahead of its time in making that commitment to partner with us.”
In 1995, Dr. Gross became the first chair of a new governing board requested by Riverside Executive Vice President Rick Pearce, who later served as Riverside’s Chief Executive Officer. With help from two other original members, O.T. Adcock, M.D. (urgent care, and later, family medicine) and John Marshall, M.D. (family medicine), Dr. Gross selected a 12-member board.
Riverside Physician Associates (RPA), as the group was then known, began to grow steadily. Mike Doucette, now Vice President for Support Services for Riverside, played a major leadership role, creating a contract and management structure that in large part remains in place today.
RPA mainly focused on primary care in its initial years but added a few specialties such as ophthalmology, pediatrics and psychiatry. In 2004-05, the Peninsula was at risk of losing neurosurgery services when Riverside stepped in to acquire the only local specialty practice.
“What followed after that was the addition of every specialty imaginable,” says Dr. Gross, who has held numerous RMG and Riverside leadership positions over the years. “We started from nothing, and then for many years we were the largest medical group in the country.”
In 2007, RPA’s name changed to Riverside Medical Group (RMG). Today, the group has more than 800 providers and 110 locations across southeastern Virginia.
Among RMG’s numerous accomplishments was becoming a national leader in the implementation of electronic medical records. That transition from paper records understandably took some getting used to, Dr. Gross remembers, as did the original idea of physicians giving up management of their individual practices.
“Physicians were taught to be the captain of the ship — always in control,” he notes. “We had to realize that teamwork was going to be the new hallmark of a high-quality, effective medical practice. It was a culture shift, but a necessary one.”
With Riverside’s mission to “Care for others as we would care for those we love,” at its core, RMG’s umbrella structure has provided major benefits for area patients and helped practices weather challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Gross continues: “Riverside’s support for doctors transitioning into and out of practice has kept our community staffed with excellent, well-trained physicians at all times, who can easily collaborate to provide comprehensive care to people of all ages.”
Moving into the future, Dr. Gross — in his 51st year seeing patients for Riverside and still practicing part-time as a gynecologist — expects RMG to keep growing. That’s especially true when it comes to adding advance practice providers to work alongside physicians.
“It’s been a really incredible ride for me,” he says. “To have had the good fortune to be part of this development with and for Riverside has been a privilege. It has been a very good thing for our physicians, our health system and especially our patients.”