Meet your Neighbors – GBMC at Joppa Road

When it comes to healthcare, the patient should always come first. That is why every GBMC primary care practice functions as a patient-centered medical home (PCMH), focusing on providing patients with better health and better care at a lower cost. In addition to delivering evidence-based care, preventive medicine and management of chronic illness, PCMHs include patients as integral parts of their own care. Through proactive monitoring, caregivers help to keep patients healthy and out of the hospital.

GBMC at Joppa Road is one of the organization’s nine PCMHs. The practice is located near the Towson Place Shopping Center and Calvert Hall College High School on LaSalle Road in Towson. With a care team that consists of three physicians, one nurse practitioner and nine other staff members, the practice has extended weekday hours to accommodate patients’ busy schedules.

Paul valle, MD, is board-certified in both Family Medicine and Geriatrics, meaning that he is qualified to treat a wide age group of people, from pediatric patients to senior citizens. Alan Halle, MD, is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, available to care for patients as young as 18 years and through adulthood to old age. Lama Al Samara, MD, is also board-certified in Internal Medicine with a special training in Dermatology and Endocrinology. In addition to the three physicians on the care team, nurse practitioner Johannah Butler, CRNP, has experience in adult and pediatric primary care and women’s health. She acts as an extension of the physicians to offer convenient, timely access to care.

Other benefits of GBMC at Joppa Road include free parking and an on-site lab to make blood testing more convenient for patients. Like all PCMHs, the physicians and staff focus on wellness and prevention of illness, but they build time into their schedules to care for walk-in patients who are sick or have minor urgencies such as sprains. Appointments are required for non-sick visits like physicals. Additionally, the practice is equipped to care for patients who primarily speak Spanish or Arabic. If needed, nurse care managers and care coordinators are also available to help patients navigate the healthcare system. They can offer assistance with obtaining referrals, making follow-up appointments and locating social or financial resources to help patients meet their goals.

Patients of GBMC at Joppa Road, or any of GBMC’s PCMH practices, have secure and easy access to their electronic health records (EHR) through a Web-based tool known as MyChart at GBMC. Using MyChart at GBMC, patients can request prescription refills, look up test results, communicate electronically with their caregivers and view past and current statements. This is one more way that patients are empowered to participate in their own care.