Fernando Velayos, MD, joined TPMG in 2017 as chair of the first KP Northern California Regional Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Program, with a mandate to overhaul care for about 35,000 IBD patients across the region.
Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease—collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease—are lifelong gastrointestinal conditions, which occur in about 1 percent of the U.S. population. Caring for chronic IBD involves the meticulous consideration of evidence-based pharmacologic, surgical, immunosuppressive, and fertility concerns.
Dr. Velayos, KP San Francisco chief of Gastroenterology, created a regional IBD program to support more than 150 TPMG gastroenterologists with easy to access clinical expertise, standardization, and care guidelines. The Crohn’s and Colitis Advisory Board, comprised of 20 IBD specialists based at 13 KP Northern California medical centers, now holds weekly multidisciplinary case conferences. A key component of the Regional Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program was the establishment of an IBD pharmacy program, which collaborates with specialty pharmacists to assist physicians with therapy orders, treatment initiation and dose optimization, and long-term patient monitoring.
This integrated care model has decreased care disparities based on geography or socioeconomic status, since IBD patients in underserved areas no longer must travel long distances or take time off from work to receive care at distant medical centers (or from third-party referrals).
IBD research and scholarship are central to Dr. Velayos’s program. In partnership with physicians and pharmacists from three KP regions and the TPMG Division of Research, he published the largest U.S. study on the real-world effectiveness of biosimilar IBD drugs, resulting in a regionwide transition to equally effective, less-expensive medications. Physicians with the Regional IBD Program have authored or co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed research papers, received KP Community Health grants, and presented at national meetings.
“Dr. Velayos’s dedication to improving patient care, fostering professional development, and driving innovation has had a profound impact on our organization and the community,” says Smita Rouillard, MD, TPMG associate executive director.