Four doctors affiliated with healthcare company MDVIP are participating in a pilot program to provide a variety of services to about 50 uninsured residents in Northern Virginia.

Headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., MDVIP is a privately held firm with a national network of primary care physicians who practice proactive, preventative and personalized care, according to the company. MDVIP is one of several concierge or retainer healthcare companies nationwide where patients pay an annual fee in exchange for varying medical services with a physician who takes on a smaller patient caseload than a traditional primary care doctor.

The firm has partnered with INOVA Health Systems and Project Access of Northern Virginia to provide services to uninsured patients with diabetes, cardiovascular disease or may be considered a high-risk patient for either chronic condition.

Project Access, founded by the Medical Society of Northern Virginia, has been providing specialty healthcare for more than 240 patients in 23 specialty areas since January 2008, contributing more than $260,000 in pro-bono care in Fairfax County and Alexandria City, Va.

Claudia Tellez, director of Project Access of Northern Virginia, said in a statement the provider is “very excited” about the partnership with MDVIP “as it will provide additional primary care access points for the most vulnerable in our community.”

Without comprehensive primary care, these patients would be treated episodically either at a county clinic or an emergency room for services considered under the umbrella of primary care management, the companies said.

The partnership will aim to best manage the chronic disease of the 50 or so low-income, uninsured patients, offer early detection and wellness to them, prevent or slow the progression of their diseases over the long-term, and free up resources for true medical emergencies at INOVA Health Systems healthcare locations.

“We wondered what happened to uninsured patients once they were treated and stabilized after emergency episodes, and we discovered that many are virtually discharged with no follow-up care, Dr. Edward Goldman, co-founder of MDVIP, said. “Typically, patients in the Project Access of Northern Virginia program require a good deal of follow-up, and without ongoing medical treatment, many emergency treatments will become chronic events.”

In addition to providing care, MDVIP plans to develop data to show how this model can reduce costs to the system and improve healthcare for the uninsured.

The Virginia pilot project follows a similar effort by MDVIP with Project Access in Palm Beach County, Fla.