PA Ashley Tolliver Brings Back the House Call with Redicare Mobile Health Service

To address barriers to healthcare, Redicare provides home-based urgent care and primary care services in Maryland

June 3, 2026

By Jennifer Walker

Lack of transportation. A shortage of primary care providers. Overutilization of emergency departments (ED). Limited telehealth opportunities. Having grown up in rural North Carolina, physician associate Ashley Tolliver is familiar with all of the barriers to healthcare that people who live in less-populated communities face. But as a college student, Tolliver—who moved to Washington, D.C. to study physical therapy at Howard University in 2004—learned that residents in large metropolitan areas experience the same obstacles. “They have major academic institutions, physicians, and other resources in close proximity,” said Tolliver about the Washington, D.C. area. “But I realized there are so many barriers to care that are consistent with those in a rural area. It was a shock to me.”

This realization ultimately gave Tolliver an idea: She would start a company that provided urgent care and primary care services in the home. In 2019, Tolliver—who practiced in emergency medicine for nine years—founded Redicare Mobile Health Service, which currently offers home-based urgent care services for patients six months and older, as well as primary care services for patients who are 18 and older, in Maryland. Redicare treats a variety of conditions, including respiratory infections, ENT and GI conditions, joint pain and arthritis, skin issues, migraines, and wounds. The company also offers in-home physicals, labs, and IV therapy; provides rapid diagnostic testing and vaccinations; writes prescriptions; and works with mobile imaging partners who provide X-rays, ultrasounds, and EKGs.

“I started Redicare to bring back the house call,” said Tolliver, who also practices trauma surgery with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). “Having worked in emergency departments, you see it becomes a catch-all for these barriers. We work with assisted living facilities, hospitals, home healthcare agencies, medical practices, and directly with patients to treat them at home with a goal to minimize unnecessary ED visits and make care more accessible.”

Becoming a PA Entrepreneur
To begin to address health barriers, Tolliver completed the Master of Public Health program with a focus in health education at Benedictine University in 2010. Then she saw a PA for her own medical care in 2009 and was inspired to follow that path. Tolliver liked that the PA profession would allow her to practice in different specialties while still using her public health education background. During her rotations, Tolliver, who attended the PA program at The George Washington University, became interested in emergency medicine.

“The majority of people admitted to the hospital come through the emergency department,” she said. “You are exposed to a variety of illnesses and injuries; learn good bedside manner and how to work under pressure; and become adept at navigating different people and situations.”

Then in 2022, Tolliver was required to take a course in advanced trauma life support, which led her to a new specialty: trauma surgery. “In trauma, you see the worst of the worst: car accidents, gunshot injuries, stabbings,” she said. “The range of experience I’ve gained from managing chronic to high-acuity conditions in pediatric through elderly populations allows me to better understand my patients and manage them at home when feasible.”

At UMMS, where she has practiced since 2023, Tolliver works six 24-hour shifts a month. There, the PAs run the trauma bay, leading the team in performing exams and quickly initiating treatment for the most critical patients. They also perform rounds and treat patients on the floor. The flexibility of the PA profession has allowed Tolliver to gain experience in different medical specialties and work with unique patient populations in addition to building her own business.

Tolliver has given up sleep and free time to balance her roles as a PA, a small business owner, and a mom to her eight-year-old son, Jaxon. “I sacrifice a lot of my personal time in order to wear my many hats,” she says. But there is a plus side, too: Tolliver is also teaching lessons about the value of perseverance, hard work, and compassion to Jaxon, who attends Redicare clinics and events with his mom, where he greets patients, distributes materials, and acts as a member of the team.

Navigating the Pandemic
In 2021, less than two years after starting Redicare, Tolliver found a temporary niche for her business when COVID-19 vaccines became available. Redicare was awarded a contract from the Black Physicians and Healthcare Network, a program of the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF), to administer the vaccines and perform COVID testing in the community and in homes. Tolliver worked with the COVID Response Team at BPHN to offer COVID-19 vaccination clinics at churches, farmers’ markets, and recreation centers, as well as in patient homes. Her team included 12 people—three other PAs, an NP, four RNs, and three medical assistants—who collectively led 20 to 30 clinics each month.

“Minorities were dying from the virus at higher rates due to a lack of education about COVID and the benefits of the vaccinations, as well as comorbidities that increased their morbidity and mortality,” said Tolliver, who was able to draw on her public health experience during this time. “Our goal was to increase the number of African Americans in the county who were getting vaccinated and provide education on COVID and we succeeded. The pandemic was rewarding as we were able to affect change while serving our community during a public emergency.”

Refocusing on Home-Based Healthcare Services
In late 2022, when the pandemic ended , Tolliver was able to refocus on her original mission for Redicare: providing quality, convenient in-home care. Lately, Tolliver, who is the primary provider for Redicare, has been receiving an average of 15 to 20 new referrals a month and treating about 12 to 20 patients per week. She sees every encounter with a patient or family member that helps fulfill a healthcare need or lessen a burden as an accomplishment.

For example, she remembers an older adult from the semi-rural community of Poolesville, Maryland, who became a long-time patient. At the time, the patient’s physician had retired, prompting her to tell her granddaughter that she wasn’t going to travel to medical appointments anymore. The granddaughter found Redicare through an online search, and Tolliver became the patient’s primary care provider for a few years, performing lab work and following up on prescriptions in her home until the patient passed away.

“She’s near and dear to me because she was one of my first patients,” said Tolliver, whose goal is to increase accessibility to Redicare’s services by expanding to neighboring states, including Virginia, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina. “Redicare is a labor of love, a calling, and a purpose for me. I am blessed and grateful to be able to care for patients and their families while lessening the burdens associated with navigating a complex healthcare system.”

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