OhioHealth and Chenmed Open Three Dedicated Senior Medical Centers in Underserved Areas of Columbus

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.

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. Click here to watch the video news release.

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 of 210 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.

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

Steve Markovich, 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 Center physicians

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

• Dedicated Columbus Associate Chief Medical Officer Paul Hicks, M.D.
• Laurel Marques, M.D.
• Sadaf Khan, M.D.
• Ariel Silva, M.D.