Mountain Area Health Education Center is expanding its partnership in Transylvania County.
When Mission Health System was purchased by HCA Healthcare in 2019, many local medical care providers found themselves re-negotiating their contracts.
“I've been working here as an OB-GYN for 11 years.”
That’s Dr. Brian Barrow. His Transylvania Women’s Care office was connected with Mission Health but now his office is called MAHEC Women’s Care at Brevard in partnership with Mountain Area Health Education Center.
“I had worked with MAHEC for the past six years, both on labor and delivery and then taking care of our high-risk patients and during our ultrasounds. So in exploring the various options, I talked more with them and I mean, it was a natural fit,” said Barrow.
Barrow is one of many local providers who have broken away from the Mission Health system. He says he is excited to be able to stay in Brevard and provide access to these important women’s health services.
“So MAHEC is the only office or clinic that offers high risk OB-GYN care, which means, they have maternal fetal medicine, doctors who handle high risk pregnancies. I guess the next closest high-risk OB-GYN care would be located in Charlotte, or I'm not sure, probably Greenville,” said Barrow.
But Barrow says he still works with Mission Hospital regularly and that his patients often deliver there.
“Most do, yes. Some choose to deliver elsewhere, but most deliver at Mission,” said Barrow.
He says the office sees an average of about 500 patients each month. Barrow says MAHEC plans to expand his office to include family medicine.
