Voluntary Initiative Program (VIP)

MSD has renewed the contract with the Division of Public Health (DPH) to continue the Voluntary Initiative Program. MSD is proud to continue serving the Delaware community statewide in this capacity. The staff at MSD and the network of contributing physicians, allied health practitioners and ancillary service providers throughout the state will continue to serve the uninsured, residents of Delaware who are enrolled in the Health Care Connection (HCC) and Screening for Life (SFL) program through the Department of Public Health (DPH).

VIP is administered by the Delaware Foundation for Medical Services (DFMS), a supporting foundation of the Medical Society of Delaware.

If you are a physician interested in participating or you have questions regarding the VIP program, please contact Michelle Seymour at 302-224-4905 or email Michelle.Seymour@medsocdel.org

The Voluntary Initiative Program (VIP) is part of the Health Care Connection (HCC), a state-funded program that helps coordinate charitable services by physicians and provides additional health service resources for patients. Physician participation adds value and improves medical outcomes for patients enrolled in HCC.

• VIP physicians provide medical services to uninsured consumers enrolled through HCC.
• VIP enrolls physician members on a voluntary basis to provide medical care throughout Delaware to uninsured and under-insured patients at no or low cost to them.
• Patients being served by VIP receive pro-bono or income-based, discounted care for routine prevention care and screenings; acute care; medical specialty care; allied health, diagnostic lab, and imaging services; and pharmacy assistance.
• The VIP Medication Assistance Program addresses the growing prescription assistance needs of uninsured and under-insured Delawareans.

Join the VIP network of Physicians, Allied Health Practitioners and Ancillary Service Providers across Delaware servicing the patients enrolled in the state’s Health Care Connection (HCC) Program. Specialties needed!

Outcomes

Professional external evaluation of the program has shown that patients:

• Increase their rate for completion of preventive screenings
• Reduce the use of emergency department services
• Lower their length of hospital stays
• Improve their management of chronic diseases
• Self-report increased satisfaction with their health care
• Utilize no-cost or discounted ancillary services such as laboratory services, radiology, physical therapy, etc.

Eligibility

 

Number of physicians currently enrolled in VIP: • Primary Care Physicians: • Specialists: (As of 1/2024)	829 284 529
Number of patients currently served through the VIP Medication Assistance Program: From 2007 to present (As of 1/2024)	12,514
Number of prescriptions filled: From 2007 to present (As of 1/2024)	35,758
Amount of cost savings for prescriptions filled: From 2007 to present (As of 1/2024)	$7,247,276
Assignment to Primary Care Physicians	1364
Referrals to Specialists	73
As of 1/2024

The MSD Campaign for Kids is an initiative of the Medical Society of Delaware launched in 2013 focusing on seven critical issues that affect young Delawareans and their families:

• Obesity
• Bullying
• Violence
• Intelligent Decisions
• Opioid Use
• Underage Drinking
• Suicide Prevention

This initiative encompasses teen, parent, and health care professional education presentations by experts on each focus issue.The following strategies are used to achieve the goals of this campaign.

• Physician volunteers will visit Delaware schools to educate students on these issues.
• A public lecture series presents on each of the seven topics for parents, health care professionals, and educators to gain insight to address these topics with our youth.
• Medical Society of Delaware Campaign for Kids 5k Run/Walk and Health Fair.

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With the support of The Medical Society of Delaware (MSD) and Delaware Youth Leadership Network (DYLN), the Apollo: Youth in Medicine program was founded by Sean Holly and Arjan Kahlon in the summer of 2018 with John Kepley joining the leadership team shortly after. Since then, the Apollo leadership team has grown to be led by several focused & resourceful students who are firmly supported by MSD and DYLN.

Together this team supports and coordinates opportunities and activities for Apollo students and their high schools with participating Apollo Physician Mentors.

Apollo: Youth in Medicine
Apollo was founded on the idea that high school students interested in the medical field need an outlet to connect them to opportunities present in the medical community, and that clinical shadowing provides valuable first-hand insight allowing exploration. Apollo has expanded its physician network to allow students across Delaware expansive access to shadowing in 17 medical disciplines. 

The Apollo Program is Multistep
1.) Interested Delaware high school juniors and seniors are invited to apply every fall through our application.
2.) New students representing multiple Delaware high schools attend a fall education session that covers specific topics such as different specialties in medicine, and the academic pathway to becoming a doctor. Here, Students receive HIPAA training through Apollo, enabling them to shadow in physicians’ offices appropriately.
3.) Apollo gives students access to several shadowing slots offered by dozens of Delaware physicians across various specialties through ‘The Match’, which occurs multiple times per year. Students can choose as many or as few shadow slots as they’d like.
4.) In addition to shadowing opportunities, Apollo serves as a liaison to gain our students optional access to medical seminars and exclusive Apollo Enhanced Experiences.

Healthy Living Week

Healthy Living week was developed by the MSD School Health Committee to promote the MSD goal of educating students and schools on current physical, mental health, social, and safety issues.  This year, MSD physicians traveled to 20 different public middle schools talking with 7^th grade students during Healthy Living Week.