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OhioHealth to open senior medical centers in underserved neighborhoods

BRANDON KLEIN
Special to the Legal News

Published: December 13, 2018

OhioHealth announced a new five-year, $60-plus million partnership with ChenMed with plans to open three new senior medical centers in underserved neighborhoods.

The new primary care practices will open in Columbus' north and far east side and the Hilltop area in the early fall next year, providing access for up to 8,000 seniors.

"Having seen how ChenMed delivers VIP service to its patients, and how effective its primary care physicians are in detecting and managing high-risk diseases," said Michael Krouse, OhioHealth's senior vice president, in a statement. "And the great outcomes they consistently achieve for diverse populations of seniors, we decided to partner with them to supercharge primary care for seniors in Columbus."

ChenMed is a physician-led primary care provider for seniors in seven states. OhioHealth and ChenMed said the clinics will increase access and improve health outcomes for thousands.

"Seniors and their families win when health systems find meaningful ways to deliver high-touch personalized primary care," said Dr. Christopher Chen, ChenMed CEO, in a press release. "More partnerships like ours will be needed nationwide. We deeply appreciate OhioHealth's passion for transforming primary care for underserved Ohio seniors."

The clinics' will integrate ChenMed's primary care into OhioHealth's system with 2,100 specialists doctors can support primary care physicians. Its features include patients having their primary care physicians' contact information, walk-in appointments, on-site cardiology, podiatry, medication dispensing, imaging, labs and acupuncture, health lifestyle classes, door-to-door transportation and more doctor time.

"PCPs in the high-touch centers are expected to serve approximately 400 patients each," explained Gaurov Dayal, MD, ChenMed president of new markets and chief growth officer. "That's roughly one-fifth the national average of 2,300 patients per doctor. And substantively more PCP time with patients is material to earning trust, to effectively detecting and managing high-risk diseases, to helping seniors enjoy more healthy days."

Overall, physicians will devote 208 minutes per year of face-to-face interactions with each patient, more than 10 times the national average of 20.3-minuites a year for facetime, ChenMed said.

The partnership could expand to serve more than 20,000 seniors in central Ohio with a total investment of more than $200 million.

"OhioHealth has a long history of caring for underserved communities and populations," Krouse said. "We are proud and excited to be continuing that tradition for our senior patients through this partnership with ChenMed."

U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, OH-3, said more can be done to provide better care for seniors in central Ohio based on meetings with community leaders and constituents.

"That is why I am so excited about OhioHealth and ChenMed's new partnership to improve upon the delivery and access to health care for seniors in underserved communities," she said.

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