COLUMBUS, Ohio (PRWEB)
October 21, 2019

OhioHealth, a nationally recognized health system based in Columbus, Ohio, and ChenMed, a nationally recognized physician-led primary care provider serving seniors in eight states, announced today the opening of the third, of three, primary care offices for seniors, called “Dedicated Senior Medical Centers.” The Dedicated centers bring the proven ChenMed approach to value-based care to underserved Columbus neighborhoods that have long needed personalized primary care to improve the lives of moderate-to-low-income, at-risk seniors. Plus, the three new Dedicated practices are a milestone for the healthcare industry. As the first time ChenMed has partnered with a health care system in opening primary care practices, the multifaceted partnership with OhioHealth could accelerate similar value-based care relationships involving hospital systems nationwide (watch VNR).

Making care simple – more time with patients means better outcomes

The Dedicated center concept is simple and vital to Medicare-eligible seniors, many of whom are living with major and multiple chronic health challenges. The more you see your patients, the better you know them. And the better you know them, the better chance you have of helping them stay healthy by catching small issues before they turn into big ones.

Dedicated primary care physicians (PCPs) spend up to TEN TIMES as much face-to-face time with their patients than a typical physician does. Instead of the national average of just 20.3 minutes of direct time with patients, Dedicated patients spend an average exceeding 200 minutes annually with the physician who knows them best.

“Doctors in our high-touch centers will serve approximately 400 patients each,” reports Christopher Chen, M.D., ChenMed CEO. “That’s roughly one-fifth the national average of 2,300 patients per doctor, so Dedicated primary care physicians are able to invest substantively more time with each patient, earning trust; detecting and managing high-risk diseases; and helping seniors enjoy more healthy days.”

Important personalized care benefits for each Dedicated patient include:

• Door-to-doctor transportation, if necessary
• Having the cell phone number for his/her Dedicated primary care physician for timely and informed help whenever a health concern might arise
• Walk-in appointments
• Unlimited visits
• On-site cardiology, medication dispensing, imaging, labs, acupuncture, and more.
• Healthy lifestyle classes

Making care affordable

Dedicated patients benefit from having almost all costs of care covered by fixed Medicare and/Medicaid reimbursements that are enhanced by Medicare Advantage supplemental insurance plans. In Columbus, Dedicated accepts Aetna, Anthem, Humana, and Medical Mutual of Ohio health plans.

Making care accessible

“The centers are ideally located to serve a population of people who have found it difficult just to see their doctor on a regular basis,” says Michael Krouse, OhioHealth senior vice president, and chief strategy and transformation officer. “This is truly transformational medicine and we are confident that our Dedicated center partnership will help seniors address routine health needs before they turn into major health emergencies.”

Center locations:

• Columbus Westside – 50 N. Wilson Road (Grand Opening: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM today)
• Northland – 2260 Morse Road (opened September 03)
• Whitehall – 5156 East Main Street (opened August 01)

Ribbon cutting and open house at the Westside center, Monday, October 21.

• When:    VIP tour + official welcome w/ribbon cutting (11:00 to 11:30 AM)
• Where: 50 N. Wilson Road (just north of Broad Street)
• What:    Ribbon-cutting, dedication with physicians, patients and local dignitaries
• Who:     Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, City of Columbus
•              Stephen E. Markovich, M.D., President and CEO of OhioHealth
•              Christopher Chen, M.D., ChenMed CEO
•              Dedicated doctors, diverse community leaders and 150 to 200 seniors

Dedicated’s approach

“We honor seniors with affordable VIP care that delivers better health,” explains Gaurov Dayal, M.D., ChenMed president new markets and chief growth officer. “Our patients know their Dedicated PCPs want to help them thrive, and this is important because many of the seniors we serve are living with multiple and major health challenges. We’re so grateful to be collaborating with OhioHealth to improve the health of seniors in underserved Columbus neighborhoods.”

“For seniors, especially those living in underserved areas, there’s simply no substitute for the personalized primary care that Dedicated Senior Medical Center physicians provide,” says Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA, OhioHealth senior vice president and chief medical officer. “We’re delighted to be partnering with Dedicated in opening three senior-friendly medical practices in Columbus. It’s the way healthcare should be delivered to truly improve the health of our senior patients.”

Local economic impact

The five-year investment in Franklin County will exceed $60 million and provide intensive primary care for up to 8,000 seniors. Initially, the three Dedicated centers will employ about 60 full-time workers, including front desk, Medical Assistants, RN case managers, and physicians – the vast majority of whom will be hired locally. As the alliance grows, it’s possible that the partnership could expand to serve more than 20,000 seniors in central Ohio, with a total investment that could top $200 million.

“As I meet with community leaders and constituents, it is clear that more can be done to provide better care for seniors in Central Ohio,” said U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03). “That is why I am so excited about OhioHealth and ChenMed’s new partnership to improve upon the delivery and access to healthcare for seniors in underserved communities.”

Dedicated primary care physicians

Four senior-focused physicians already practicing in the three centers are:

About OhioHealth

OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare outreach of the United Methodist Church. Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth has been recognized as one of the top five large health systems in America by Truven Health Analytics, an honor it has received six times. It is also recognized by FORTUNE as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” and has been for 13 years in a row, 2007-2019.

Serving its communities since 1891, it is a family of 30,000 associates, physicians and volunteers, and a network of 12 hospitals, 200+ ambulatory sites, hospice, home-health, medical equipment and other health services spanning a 47-county area. OhioHealth hospitals include OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Hardin Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Marion General Hospital, OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, OhioHealth Shelby Hospital, OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital and OhioHealth Berger Hospital. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.ohiohealth.com.

About ChenMed

For seniors most in need of care, high-quality health care often is beyond reach. ChenMed brings concierge-style medicine — and better health outcomes — to the neediest populations. ChenMed is a privately owned medical, management and technology company operating more than 60 primary care medical practices for seniors in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Its brands include Chen Senior Medical Center, Dedicated Senior Medical Center, and JenCare Senior Medical Center.

ChenMed honors seniors with affordable VIP care that delivers better health. Results of its high-touch approach to primary care are impressive, as illustrated in the recent Modern Healthcare cover story (Oct. 20, 2018), which reports that: “Indeed, ChenMed’s approach has resulted in 50 percent fewer hospital admissions compared with a standard primary-care practice, 28 percent lower per-member costs, and significantly higher use of evidence-based medications.” Inspired by ChenMed chairman and founder James Chen, M.D., Ph.D., the company has been serving low-to-moderate-income seniors with multiple complex chronic conditions for over 30 years.