Dr. Glenn Madrid, MD
Western Colorado Physicians Group, a division of Primary Care Partners
Not many of us visit the White House by personal invitation, but seven years ago President Obama asked Dr. Glenn Madrid to come to Washington for a special presentation. Dr. Madrid felt honored, but was surprised when he was escorted backstage before the event to meet the president in person! During the program, President Obama recognized Dr. Madrid’s hard work as a physician contributing to the Grand Valley’s achievements in innovative medicine.
Dr. Madrid points out that this was not the first time the Western Slope’s medical ingenuity has been recognized. Several years previous, Grand Junction received national attention when the Dartmouth Atlas looked at different medical practices across the country and rated Grand Junction as having the highest quality/lowest cost in the nation.
Due to his longevity in the area as a primary care physician, Dr. Madrid has a unique vantage point from which to offer assessments of the victories, challenges, and areas of ongoing growth within our medical community.
Dr. Madrid Grew up in Alamosa, Colorado and received his medical training in Denver. He came to Grand Junction for a residency in family medicine and has now been practicing medicine for 32 years—long enough to observe plenty of expansion and change. Originally made up of four family physicians, Western Colorado Physicians Group—a division of Primary Care Partners, has grown to eight providers. “I think we, as a group, have created a great culture,” he comments. “We get along well, we’re a family, we have each other’s backs, and we have loyal patients we’ve been serving for a long time.”
Primary Care Partners (PCP) now boasts a total of almost 75 clinicians serving over 55,000 people within its 9 divisions at 3 different locations. Two of its divisions—DOCS on Call and Grand Junction Diagnostics & Mammography—were birthed out of Western Colorado Physicians Group.
Dr. Madrid remembers the days when DOCS on Call meant meeting patients at the clinic’s back door after normal business hours in order to offer convenient, after-hours care. Eventually rotating on-call providers would start their day at 1 pm and work until 9 pm in order to provide more versatile hours of an evening clinic. This concept morphed into the more formal system now known as DOCS on Call.
Dr. Madrid enjoying beautiful western Colorado
When PCP was formally created, the concept was embraced by the entire network, and the same holds true for Grand Junction Mammography & Diagnostics. Western Colorado Physicians Group began offering x-rays, labs, mammograms and bone density tests before PCP was formed. Again, the concept was shared with PCP when created and “it’s been a successful thing for the whole group,” states Madrid who points to continuity of patient care and lower costs as two key benefits. “The ER’s expensive,” he explains. “I’d rather be at my office than the ER myself, as a provider. So why don’t I see my patients in a more controlled, less costly environment?” While these services are now accepted as standard of care, thirty years ago they were new, innovative ways of delivering care.
It’s cooperative efforts such as these that have garnered national recognition for Grand Junction. Dr. Madrid says, “In PCP, I think we’ve built a great organization.” He recognizes St. Mary’s coming together with PCP and Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP) to help create a clinically integrated network called Monument Health as good progress and notes the need for local providers to work effectively with insurance to help drive down the cost of care. He acknowledges that there have been changes in the last few years but still greatly appreciates the cooperative nature of our valley when it comes to medicine. “I think we need to continue to try and protect that in our community. We’re big enough to feel the market forces, but small enough to still work together, so hopefully that continues.”
With the advent of the hospitalist, a nationwide trend has been to divide in-patient and out-patient care. Western Colorado Physicians Group is one of the last family practices in Grand Junction that still sees their patients in the hospital. “Our group has relished in the idea of doing full- spectrum care, including in-patient care,” says Dr. Madrid. “Because we do full-spectrum family medicine we are in a good position for recruiting. We can recruit the cream of the crop candidates out of residency who want to do full-spectrum care and stay in Grand Junction.”
“Family medicine is not boring,” he laughs. “I love that we have specialists and I greatly appreciate their help. But that’s not for me. I don’t want to be focused on just one thing. I love that today I saw a newborn and I saw a 95-year-old. It’s a privilege. You get to be there through the thick and thin, through the wonderful times, but you’re also right there in the trenches with people.” He adds, “It’s lifelong learning, but that’s rewarding.”
An advocate for family medicine on both state and national levels, Dr. Madrid serves on the board of the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians and as one of two Colorado delegates to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Dr. Madrid has been married 42 years and is proud dad to three grown daughters who are building their own families. “I’ve got six grandkids that are just the best,” he brags. The Madrid family comes together to enjoy outdoor recreation from their cabin in South Fork. Dr. Madrid loves golfing, mountain biking, fishing and hiking. He follows local sports and proudly cheers for the Colorado Rockies, Denver Broncos, Colorado Avalanche and CU Buffs.
Western Colorado Physicians Group, a division of Primary Care Partners, is accepting new patients. Their office, located off of Wellington Avenue near St. Mary’s Hospital, created the After-Hours Clinic known today as DOCS on Call. To learn more or inquire about becoming a new patient, visit their website at pcpGJ.com or call their office at (970) 241-6011.