Care starts with relationships for Reid Health's Advanced Practice Provider of the Year

When it comes to healthcare, Brandon Guth, PA-C, believes it’s about more than a diagnosis or treating an illness. It’s about listening, building relationships, and treating the whole person.

As a physician assistant with Reid Medical Associates, Guth is passionate about improving access to care, particularly for underserved populations.

Whether he’s treating a patient, mentoring a future provider, addressing an unmet healthcare need, or serving in the community, colleagues say he consistently puts patients first and works to ensure they receive high-quality care.

Guth is the second recipient of Reid Health’s Advanced Practice Provider (APP) of the Year Award for his commitment to clinical quality, compassionate care, support for colleagues, and efforts to improve programs and services that enhance quality of life throughout Reid’s service area.

His selection was announced Thursday night during a celebration recognizing APPs for their contributions. Nominations were submitted by patients, physicians, and healthcare workers.

Ben Wells, Reid Health President/CEO, said Guth's commitment to delivering exceptional care and genuine concern for patients set him apart.

“When I interact with Brandon, I can always tell he’s focused on delivering exceptional patient care,” Wells said.

“I’ve talked to patients and folks who’ve been impacted by Brandon, and it’s always just remarkable how much it comes across that he genuinely cares not only about delivering exceptional clinical outcomes but also about the patient and making sure their whole well-being is taken care of.”

The award was established to shine a light on the exceptional contributions APPs make across the health system. The annual honor recognizes APPs who consistently live out Reid’s mission, demonstrate excellence in practice, and serve as role models for their peers. Any APP nominated must be a full-time member of Reid’s medical staff.

Billie Kester, Vice President/Ambulatory Care & Services Lines, said Guth exemplifies the qualities the award was created to recognize.

“Brandon pours his heart and soul into patient care,” Kester said. “He wants to provide the utmost care for the patients he sees, and that has been very true in our practice.”

For Guth, there wasn’t a single outstanding moment that led to a career in healthcare, but several experiences influenced his path. As a child, he spent time in and out of children’s hospitals with a chronic condition. His mother, Heather, works as a laboratory technician at Reid, and a high school internship also steered him toward a future in healthcare.

A 2011 Richmond High School graduate, Guth went on to study pre-med at IUPUI, before he learned about the option to be a physician assistant from his father, Brian. He did his research and found as a PA, he could provide many of the same types of care as a physician while completing school in less time, offering greater flexibility to start a family and focus a career on caring for people.

“I think the biggest thing for me has always just been relationships,” Guth said. “To be able to form relationships, help people, to be present for people, especially in times of need and times of fear.”

But it was the movie “Patch Adams” that’s had a lasting impact on his patient-care philosophy.

His favorite quote from the film has stayed with him throughout his career:

“You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you'll win, no matter what the outcome.”

He makes it a point to get to know each of his patients, remembering the person in front of him is someone’s parent, child, sibling, or loved one.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in health science and a master’s degree in physician assistant studies from Indiana University, Guth and his wife, Elly, returned to Richmond with a broader perspective shaped by their experiences in Indianapolis.

Guth was an EMT while attending physician assistant school, and Elly taught at a low-income Indianapolis public school.

Living and working in the inner city, the couple saw people’s hardships and the limited access to resources. The experience changed their perspective on poverty, addiction, and the challenges people face.

“I feel very proud of the relationships he builds with his patients and how much he cares about them,” Elly said.

“I think he’s done a really good job in Richmond of changing a lot of people’s perspectives about people facing addiction and mental health challenges and showing them love and support.”

His career in primary care began at Well Care Community Health. There, he developed a passion for improving access to care and established Wayne County’s first hepatitis C treatment program. He later developed a medication-assisted treatment program for people with opioid use disorder.

David Keller, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Well Care Community Health, said Guth distinguished himself early in his career and consistently exceeded expectations.

“Brandon was very good with his patients. He spent a lot of time with them and made sure they understood exactly what he was trying to tell them,” Keller said.

“He was very knowledgeable, very good at diagnostics, and very good at treatment, so he really helped his patients quite a bit.”

After joining Reid Health in February 2023, Guth continued the hepatitis C and opioid treatment programs while training other healthcare professionals to provide the same care.

His work earned him the 2023 William H. Marquardt Community Health Access Fellowship from the Physician Assistant Foundation, which recognizes physician assistants dedicated to improving access to primary and preventive care for underserved populations. Guth was the only Indiana recipient that year.

He also was named the 2023 Indiana Academy of Physician Assistants’ Physician Assistant of the Year for exceptional patient care, clinical expertise, and positive impact on patients and Reid team members.

“He puts patients first,” said Chase Carpenter, DO, Reid Medical Associates.

“Brandon’s amazing at building relationships and getting a patient’s trust so he can adequately treat them well and provide the best care he can.”

Megan Carpenter, DO, Reid Medical Associates, said Guth's commitment to improving access to care has benefited patients throughout the region.

“Some of his major contributions include putting himself out in the community and offering services that many other providers don’t with addiction medicine and hepatitis C treatment,” she said.

“He wants the best for the patient, and he looks at the patient as a whole. He really makes patients feel heard.”

Leneah Holland, LPN, Reid Medical Associates, said Guth’s positivity is one of the first things people notice.

“When we first come in the office, the first thing he says is, ‘Are you ready to save a life today?’” Holland said. “He’s always motivational, and that’s how we start the day almost every day.”

He doesn’t see patients as a number, she added.

“He’s going to get to the bottom of whatever it is you have going on. It’s kind of like, ‘I’m not going to sleep until I get this figured out.’”

Guth is also passionate about teaching future healthcare providers.

As an adjunct faculty member with Indiana University Indianapolis, he teaches courses and serves as a clinical preceptor, mentoring a physician assistant student each month.

“I love having students, and they teach me things all the time,” he said.

One of those teachable moments came from a student who had just completed a new patient visit.

“We went back into the patient’s room together and the patient was crying,” Guth said. “I asked what was wrong, and she pointed at my student and said, ‘Nobody has ever listened to me like that.’”

The moment reminded Guth listening is the most important thing for patients.

“What makes us great providers isn’t our ability to diagnose and treat, but it’s our ability to listen to a person, guide them, give them direction, and just be there for them,” he said.

Outside the office, Guth enjoys time with his family and being active in the community.

“I think community is everything,” he said. “Part of the reason I wanted to do family medicine was for the relationships I’m able to form, and that happens through community.”

Guth serves on the YMCA board and coaches two soccer teams, a sport he enjoyed playing while growing up in Richmond. In August 2024, he and Elly participated in Birth to Five’s “Dancing with the Stars of Wayne County” and won the Crowd Favorite award.

He said he’s humbled by the recognition and grateful to work alongside team members who share the same commitment to patient care.

“I don’t think there’s anything overly special I do that many other providers at Reid aren’t doing,” Guth said.

“This award is for all of us as much as it is for me. I put a lot of time, effort, and energy into caring for my patients, helping them, listening to them, and being there for them. I wasn’t seeking recognition, but it’s meaningful to be recognized.”