Infectious Disease Associates (IDA) is now part of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Effective Jan. 1, IDA became a member of Johns Hopkins Regional Physicians (JHRP), a care model created in 2017 to bring more community practices into Johns Hopkins’ clinical footprint.

IDA-- now known as Infectious Disease Associates, a member of Johns Hopkins Regional Physicians -- treats patients with illnesses caused by infections, including those with recurrent infections related to immunosuppression medications for transplants, HIV or cancer treatments, says managing partner Mark Landrum, who founded IDA in Ellicott City in 2003. Its six doctors provide inpatient care at Howard County General Hospital in Columbia, Maryland, and St. Agnes and MedStar Harbor hospitals in Baltimore.

Infectious Disease Associates joins two other JHRP practices: Cardiovascular Specialists of Central Maryland and ENTAA Care. Plans are underway to continue adding high quality practices to JHRP in communities served by Johns Hopkins, says Kathryn Stamps, the group’s chief operating officer.

JHRP was formed two years ago when Johns Hopkins leaders were figuring out the best way to collaborate with ENTAA Care, a 13-physician otolaryngology and allergy practice in Maryland with six locations: Columbia, Annapolis, Laurel, Glen Burnie, Kent Island and Odenton. 

“I had been talking to Hopkins for a long time about a mutually beneficial relationship,” says Marc Hamburger, president, managing partner and chair of ENTAA Care, CEO of JHRP, and section chief of surgery/otolaryngology at Howard County General Hospital. “It took a couple of years of back and forth negotiations to make it palatable to both sides. There are things that private practice does better and things that Hopkins does better. With JHRP, we try to take the best of both worlds.”

JHRP has a different model than Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, which is comprised of practices that are wholly part of Johns Hopkins Medicine. “The idea behind JHRP is that community-based practices can be a part of Johns Hopkins while still having their own autonomy,” says Stamps.

The JHRP practices get support with billing, legal decisions, and quality and safety measures, while keeping their names and remaining for-profit. The physicians and staff members become employees of JHRP, which is part of the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians.

Through referrals and shared insurance networks, JHRP helps patients easily transition between care in their communities and treatment from Johns Hopkins specialists and hospitals. Plans are underway to add the JHRP locations to Epic so patients can have all their electronic medical records in one place.

“For Hopkins, it’s great from a strategic perspective as we continue to grow our ambulatory footprint,” says Stamps. “It is terrific to have these groups that provide more access to patients for care and to give those patients the tertiary care within Hopkins.”

For Landrum of Infectious Disease Associates, the appeal is also clear: “We’re excited about this partnership, which will let us expand our outpatient services and provide better continuity of care for folks in our community.”