Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP James L. Holly, M.D. Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP


Providers - James L. Holly, M.D. A Brief Bio
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James L. Holly, MD, is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Southeast Texas Medical Associates (SETMA, www.jameslhollymd.com). He is a graduate of the University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio, where he is an Adjunct Professor of Family and Community Medicine. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Texas A&M College of Medicine.

In 1998, Dr. Holly led SETMA to adopt electronic medical records. SETMA has become a leader in healthcare informatics winning many awards including the HIMSS Davies award (2005) and Stories of Success (2010), and the eHI Innovator of the Year in 2012.  In 2013, Dr. Holly was name the HIMSS Physician IT Leadership Award winner.  Dr Holly writes and lectures extensively on health policy, informatics and healthcare transformation.

SETMA is an NCQA Tier III Patient-Centered Medical Home (2010-2019), is accredited by AAAHC as a medical home and for Ambulatory Care (2010-2017), URAC for PC-MH and Ambulatory Care (2014-2017) and The Joint Commission for PC-MH, Ambulatory Care and Reference Laboratory (2014-2020). In 2011, SETMA was named one of Thirty Exemplary Practices for Clinical Decision Support by the U. S. Office of the ONC for HIT.  And in the same year was selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as one of 30 Exemplar practices for the LEAP Study.

AHRQ published SETMA’s LESS Initiative on their Innovation Exchange. SETMA has NCQA Diabetes Recognition (2010-2019) and NCQA Heart and Stroke Recognition (2013-2019).  For 2013, 2013 and 2014, The Texas Physician Practice Quality Improvement Award Committee recognized SETMA with The Texas Physician Practice Quality Improvement Award.  

Starting in 2009, SETMA has publicly reported, by provider name performance on over 300 quality metrics at www.jameslhollymd.com/public-reporting. For the past seventeen years, Dr. Holly has written a weekly healthcare column. All columns are posted on SETMA’s website under Your Life Your Health. Dr. Holly is a frequent invited speak at national meetings on healthcare policy and quality, on healthcare informatics and on the place of data analytics in primary care.

Dr. and Mrs. Holly have endowed the first Distinguished Chair in Patient-Centered Medical Home at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, along with a Annual Distinguished Lectureship in PC-MH.  SETMA also hosts senior medical students and primary care residents in a four-week PC-MH externship.  SETMA has been visited by delegations from China, Australia and numerous universities, medical schools and practices from across the United States.  For their 50th wedding anniversary, Dr. Holly endowed the Carolyn Bellue Holly Distinguished Professorship in Teaching and Learning at their undergraduate university.

In 2012, Dr. Holly received the Distinguished Alumnus Award of the University Of Texas Health Science Center School Of San Antonio, and in 2016, he was named to the Long Purple Line, The Hall of Distinction, at his undergraduate school, Northwestern State University.

President of UT Health Upon the Election of Dr. and Mrs. Holly to the Aesculapian Laureate Society, May 2017

Dr. Holly’s vision for the school and its philanthropy has truly been an inspiration.  His leadership changed the school forever. As President of the School’s Alumni Board, Larry launched our first alumni fundraising campaign – encouraging and challenging his classmates, and each of our alumni, to invest in their School of Medicine alma mater. Larry established the Student Education Enhancement Fund dedicated to supporting important, enrichment programs for medical students – medical mission trips, tutoring services, research projects, and community-service learning projects, and more. It was a defining initiative that encouraged the development of compassionate physicians who are committed to the health of their communities and the world – and a culture that defines our School today.

Larry and Carolyn never stopped giving.

Today, Larry and Carolyn Holly have established 8 endowments that support a wide array of programs across our Long School of Medicine.  They also inspired others to give, including a spectacular $1M gift from a grateful patient and Trustee of the Beaumont Foundation of America, which was dedicated to refurbishing and naming the Dr. and Mrs. James L. Holly Auditorium -- an iconic part of our University.

In recognition of Larry and Carolyn’s vision for alumni giving in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, we have created a special giving society for our School – The Aesculapian Laureate Society.

We established this distinguished Society to honor School of Medicine Alumni who contribute $1M or more.

Tonight’s dinner celebrates the inaugural members of The Aesculapian Laureate Society, Dr. and Mrs. James L. Holly, for their exemplary philanthropic leadership.  With all gifts, including generous personal giving from Larry and Carolyn, and the support they have engendered from SETMA, Universal American and Beaumont Foundation of America, Larry and Carolyn Holly have contributed just under $3 million to our School of Medicine and University.