It’s been more than nine months since Las Vegas-based Valley Oaks Medical Group rebranded as Astrana Care.
Founded in 2020, Valley Oaks sold its primary care operations to its parent company, Astrana Health, in October 2022. The group will open its 13th primary care clinic in Las Vegas this October.
Lucas Taylor, president of Astrana Care Nevada and a longtime Las Vegas resident, assumed leadership in November of last year. The 42-year-old Notre Dame graduate says the rebranding process is progressing smoothly.
“Astrana has been around for more than 30 years, and our move into Nevada is about extending that legacy and brand,” Taylor said.
Q: Where is Astrana Care
headed in Las Vegas?
Taylor: We’re on track to become the largest primary care group in the valley. Right now, we have 26 providers, and we expect to surpass 30 by year-end, with plans to grow to 40 to 50 providers next year. That will put us among the top groups in the region.
Q: What are your growth priorities?
Taylor: We’re focused on expanding access for senior patients. As people age, they develop more chronic conditions, and we want to be the clinic that serves them in a welcoming, community-oriented environment.
But unlike many competitors, we don’t limit ourselves to Medicare patients. We serve all ages and all insurance types — except newborns. If a senior comes in with their daughter or grandson, we want to care for the whole family. Our mission is to be a clinic for everyone in the community.
Q: What kind of care does Astrana
provide?
Taylor: Our clinics provide comprehensive, coordinated primary care. For example, if you’re a 57-year-old woman using your employer’s insurance and you need a mammogram, we’ll connect you with trusted imaging partners in our network. The same applies for colonoscopies and other preventive services.
All our clinics are primary care, but we work closely with specialists — cardiologists, gastroenterologists and others — to ensure timely, coordinated care across the community.
Q: How would you describe the
state of health care in Las Vegas?
Taylor: Historically, Las Vegas has ranked near the bottom, nationally in many health care metrics. For seniors, we’ve often been in the bottom five. Medicaid outcomes are also low due to limited state funding, though things are improving.
Our goal is ambitious but clear: to make Nevada a top-10 state for health care outcomes.
Q: How do you plan to achieve that?
Taylor: The key is attracting and retaining more providers. When doctors fly in for interviews, they often only see the Strip. They don’t see the real Las Vegas: family-friendly communities like Henderson, Summerlin and North Las Vegas.
By showing them what this city truly offers, we can build a stronger physician base. UNLV and Touro University deserve a lot of credit. They’re producing great local doctors who understand our community.
Improving health care here won’t happen overnight. It requires smart, hardworking and committed people consistently pulling in the same direction over time.
Q: What’s your take on U.S. health
care more broadly?
Taylor:American health care is at a crossroads. We have some of the best doctors and technology in the world, but access is difficult and costs are high. The challenge is balancing excellence with affordability — keeping top doctors while avoiding runaway expenses.
That’s what Astrana is tackling. We focus on preventive care to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations. Every avoided admission saves money for the system and taxpayers, allowing us to reinvest in wraparound services for patients and better support for providers.
Our approach is to wrap care around the sickest patients — coordinating with families, specialists and community resources — to prevent expensive complications later in life.
Q: What exactly is
value-based care?
Taylor:Value-based care means paying for better health outcomes, not for the volume of services. The old model rewarded doing more — more tests, more procedures. That’s not always the best care, and it’s incredibly costly.
Value-based care asks a simple question: What’s necessary and appropriate for this patient? For instance, a healthy 24-year-old doesn’t need a colonoscopy. The goal is to deliver the right care, at the right time, for the right patient.
Q: Why is Astrana here to stay?
Taylor: Many organizations have entered this market and failed because they lacked capital, staying power or genuine relationships in the community.
We’re different. Astrana has over 30 years of proven stability. We’re deliberate about where we expand and who we partner with. We don’t chase quick wins or flashy marketing. We’re building something lasting — for patients and for physicians.
Doctors who join us can trust that we’ll still be here in five years. That continuity is essential for high-quality patient care.
Q: What makes Las Vegas special
to you?
Taylor: Las Vegas is unique because we didn’t grow up with Harvard or Wall Street in our backyard. We built this city through hard work and relationships.
This is a town where you can raise a family as a valet, a blackjack dealer or a small business owner. Reputation matters here. If you treat people poorly, the word gets out fast.
That’s what I love most. Las Vegas runs on trust, integrity and effort. Those values align perfectly with how we operate at Astrana Care.
