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Health Care Tour: “Seeking Patient-Centered Care”
ReGenesis Community Health Center - Spartanburg
The Issue:
- Federally qualified community health centers use federal assistance to offer quality affordable health care for all members of the community.
Findings:
- A Focus on Wellness
- Outcomes-focused Health Care - ReGenesis strives to improve patient wellness. Currently, 600 diabetic patients are being monitored for improvements in glucose levels, blood pressure, and weight.
- Wellness Education – Wellness programs are offered for the community every month both on-site and off-site (diabetes classes, colon-rectal cancer screenings, health education classes, etc.)
- Behavioral Health – 1 in 5 patients deal with some type of behavioral health (depression, anxiety, etc.) not covered by Medicare or Medicaid. ReGenesis has partnered with a local not for profit counseling center to offer on-site counseling for its patients.
- Pay as You’re Able – ReGenesis accepts Medicare, Medicaid, commercial insurance, self pay and contracted care.
- Medicare and Medicaid patients comprise 47% of the clientele.
- 13% of patients are commercially insured and this number continues to grow.
- Self-pay fees for uninsured patients (40%) are based on a percentage of the Medicaid fee schedule. The clinic applies a sliding fee scale, based on proof of income and family size. Each bill reflects the full cost of care (amount due + any subsidy provided to the patient).
- ReGenesis has worked with local small businesses to provide fee for service contracts for their employers. For instance, employees might receive four routine clinic visits per year under the contract and then be insured separately for catastrophic needs.
- Wired for the Future
- New patients’ records are paperless. The paper records of returning patients are scanned into an electronic format and then archived.
- The radiology suite will be online by year’s end.
- Location Matters – Co-locating community health centers near hospitals in the future is seen as a possible way to:
- Divert low-intensity services from crowded emergency rooms.
- Lower costs for patients by avoiding expensive hospital care.
When: February 20, 2008
Where: ReGenesis Community Health Center, 750 S Church St, Spartanburg, SC
Hosts: George Newby, Jr., MPH, FACH, Executive Director, The Honorable Harold Mitchell