United Vein & Vascular Centers

Ashley Rae Medina is a healthcare operations and value-based care leader specializing in multi-state practice integration, strategic payer partnerships and building referral networks that optimize patient outcomes. At United Vein & Vascular Centers (UVVC), she focuses on coordinated vascular specialty care, payer partnerships and improving outcomes for high-risk patient populations.

In an interview with Elder Care Review, she shared insights on preventive vascular care, early symptom identification and how value-based care improves long-term patient outcomes. 

Transition into Value-Based Vascular Care

Leadership roles, healthcare operations and value-based care have shaped my journey. Building on leadership experience at Walt Disney World and working in for-profit education supporting medical assistants and coders, I became CPC certified and moved into medical billing and coding. 

Later, at Better Health Group, I spent 10 years growing from a provider consultant to National VP of Provider Operations. During that time, I helped support the organization’s growth from approximately 10,000 to more than 250,000 attributed patients by aligning operational infrastructure, provider support and coordinated care initiatives across independent physician practices.

What drew me toward vascular health and senior patient care was recognizing the critical role specialists play in the value-based care ecosystem. While primary care physicians serve as gatekeepers, specialists must also understand care coordination, chronic condition management and CMS-driven models.

Early Intervention and Preventive Care

Preserving mobility and preventing avoidable hospitalizations are critical components of helping seniors maintain independence and quality of life. As the population ages, vascular health management is becoming increasingly important because vascular disease is often linked to chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Early identification, timely intervention and coordinated outpatient care are essential to reducing complications, hospitalizations and amputation risk for these patients.

At UVVC, many minimally invasive vascular procedures are performed in office-based labs rather than hospitals or ambulatory surgery centers, allowing patients to receive advanced outpatient vascular care in a more accessible and lower-cost setting. Through advanced vascular imaging, ultrasound-guided procedures and endovascular treatments, we are able to treat many conditions without major surgery or extended hospital stays. For elderly patients, smaller incisions, reduced sedation requirements and minimal downtime often support faster recovery and allow most patients to return home the same day. This model not only improves the patient experience, but also helps reduce unnecessary healthcare utilization through earlier intervention and coordinated outpatient care.

Too many seniors assume symptoms like swelling, cramping, discoloration or nonhealing wounds are part of aging, when they may serious indicate underlying vascular disease.

Preventive care and lifestyle changes play a major role in reducing vascular risk. Consistent movement, smoking cessation, diabetes management and routine screenings all support better long-term vascular health. Recognizing when specialist intervention is needed is equally important to prevent further escalation. 

Expanding Patient Access through Coordination

One of the biggest challenges elderly patients face in vascular care is delayed access. Transportation limitations, fragmented care coordination, insurance complexity and uncertainty around symptoms or specialist care often cause this.

Long wait times for primary care appointments can also delay treatment. At UVVC, we focus on improving access, often seeing patients within the same week. We also work closely with primary care providers, specialists and community organizations to strengthen care coordination and entry into care. 

Common vascular conditions affecting seniors include peripheral artery disease, chronic venous insufficiency, deep vein thrombosis and venous ulcers. Many patients assume symptoms like swelling, cramping, discoloration or nonhealing wounds are part of aging, when they may indicate underlying vascular disease. This highlights the need for stronger education around early intervention and preventive care.

Advice for Emerging Vascular Care Professionals

My advice to aspiring professionals in vascular health management is to recognize the opportunities beyond traditional clinical pathways. Many providers seek environments where they can focus on patient care with strong operational and administrative support. Working within larger value-based care organizations allows providers to focus more on patient outcomes and specialty procedures while benefiting from stronger operational and revenue management.

For interventional specialists and vascular surgeons, the field is especially rewarding because the impact is highly visible, from improved circulation to wound healing and restored mobility. It also offers the opportunity to work alongside skilled multidisciplinary teams in office-based lab environments. Organizations like UVVC provide a balance of autonomy and support, making a strong platform for career growth in vascular health specialties.