Fairfax, Va.-based Inova Health is redefining primary care with services designed to meet patients where they work and live.
“Meeting our patients where they are isn’t a tagline — it’s how we design care,” Craig Cheifetz, MD, president of Inova Primary Care Service Line, told Becker’s. “We’ve built a system that adapts, innovates and responds to patients as individuals, not standardized assumptions.”
Traditional primary care remains the backbone of Inova’s service line; however, it has also created a portfolio of tailored services including virtual and hybrid appointments, walk-in same-day access clinics, after-hour clinics, shared medical visits and concierge services for business executives.
“What makes our service line unique is how intentionally the pieces fit together,” Marna Borieux, vice president administrator of primary care, said. “We don’t view these offerings as separate programs, but as a coordinated portfolio that allows us to match the right model of care to the right patient at the right time. That portfolio approach also gives us the ability to respond quickly to emerging needs. Whether we’re addressing access challenges, supporting growth or piloting new care models, the structure we’ve built allows innovation to scale thoughtfully across the system.”
This portfolio mindset allows the system to adapt care models thoughtfully and responsibly, recognizing that patients come to it with different goals, challenges and definitions of access.
Here are six non-traditional primary care service offerings Inova has launched. Last year, all of the below resulted in more than 1.1 million visits.
Clinics for patients with the most barriers
Inova Cares clinics are uniquely staffed to aid patients facing significant medical, social and economic challenges. These clinics provide comprehensive primary care alongside enhanced support services to address barriers such as access, language, transportation and care coordination. Here, it’s not just about delivery care, but creating stability and trust for patients who need it most.
“Inova Cares is built around the understanding that health doesn’t exist in isolation,” Karen Berube, senior vice president of community health and equity, said. “By integrating primary care with social support and community-based resources, we’re able to meet patients where they are and help remove the obstacles that too often stand between them and better health.”
The clinics have served 16,000 unique patients in 2025 and hosted 33,000 patient visits.
Concierge and executive health programs
The system’s concierge and executive health programs were created in response to community and employer demand for high-touch, personalized care. These services are designed for business leaders and executives, and offer 60- to 90-minute appointments. The program is self-sustaining and does not use resources from the service line or system.
“By listening carefully to what our community is asking for,” Dr. Cheifetz said, “we can drive better population health outcomes while supporting innovation across our entire portfolio.”
The executive program provides nearly 700 exams per year across about 80 companies and the concierge program serves more than 7,300 members across six offices and 20 physicians.
Although these services are focused on a small population, they strengthen the broader primary care ecosystem through strategic partnerships that support prevention, continuity and population health, Dr. Cheifetz said.
Delivering care at the workplace
Inova’s clinics and team members have partnered with employees of corporate and government partners to optimize occupational health by delivering care where work happens. There are three clinics, located across three counties, that support occupational health needs from local municipalities all the way to the federal government. The program also has two corporate on-site clinics and three government on-site clinics. These clinics offer a range of services from comprehensive care to clearance physicians. This improves public safety, productivity and continuity and ensures timely access to workers.
“Our ambulatory nursing teams play a critical role across every setting in this portfolio,” Suzan Shibla, DNP, RN, vice president of nursing in primary care and chief nursing officer of ambulatory, said. “By aligning nursing practice with each care model — from primary care to urgent care to occupational health — we ensure patients experience safe, coordinated and compassionate care no matter where they enter the system.”
Urgent care as a pipeline to primary care
Urgent care is often a patient’s first interaction with Inova or any healthcare professional. All 23 of Inova’s urgent care locations identify and refer patients to primary care options.
“Urgent care is often the entryway to the broader health system,” Dr. Cheifetz said. “Our responsibility is to make that transition seamless, welcoming and connected.”
After-hours clinic
In early July, the system will launch an after-hour virtual clinic where providers respond to patient calls all night.
“We recognize that there are national entities — the Amazons of the world — that are setting up virtual care offerings and advertising them constantly,” Dr. Cheifetz said. “I almost worry at times about entities that want to deliver transactional care without necessarily having the complete picture. We know our patients. Given the market, we feel we can [provide comprehensive care] better and deliver primary care 24/7, 365.”
The after-hours virtual clinic will operate with a walk-in concept, where patients can call the central number or use MyChart to schedule into the after-hours clinic. They will be triaged by a nurse and then meet with a nurse practitioner or physician assistant over video call to discuss their needs. The clinic will also have a physician backup if a higher level of care is needed.
The clinic will be open 24/7, including holidays. At least 50% of appointments will be scheduled in advance, with the rest open to day-of demand. The system is working to staff the clinic with existing team members, who will be able to work from home while manning the after-hours clinic.
Dr. Cheifetz said he anticipates a number of advantages for Inova. On the operations side, the after-hours clinic will be able to take 20 to 40 calls a night, which will help triage patients to the right level of care. This could help cut unnecessary ED visits. But the night-time hours can also help decompress offices during the day because patients can schedule their follow-ups or handle their low-acuity needs that night, rather than waiting until offices open in the morning.
Alongside the after-hours clinic, Inova is rolling out an advanced primary care program — a Medicare product that reviews patient charts. During downtimes, after-hour clinic staff can do additional work related to patient care, follow-up, chart review and inbox management.
Shared medical visits
In June, Inova launched shared medical visits. Each shared medical visit lasts about 90 minutes and includes one to two dozen patients in the same session. The model is designed for follow-up visits for patients with chronic, stable conditions, such as hypertension, menopause, Type 2 diabetes or osteoporosis.
During the visit, a physician or advanced practice provider moves one by one through each patient’s care, while other participants listen and learn from the discussion. Shared visits are not lectures or classes, but a clinical appointment that preserves individual patient attention within a shared setting. Participation is voluntary, and patients who prefer one-on-one visits continue to receive traditional appointments.
Since launching, providers have conducted about 20 shared appointments. The first nine share appointments saved 50 hours of provider time, which opened up 200 15-minute appointments.
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