SERVING A 24 COUNTY AREA, INCLUDING BIRMINGHAM, HUNTSVILLE, MONTGOMERY & TUSCALOOSA
MARCH 2022 / $5
USDA Loan Program is a Lifeline for Rural Hospitals By steVe sPenCer
We are all familiar with the crisis that rural hospitals are facing. Because rural hospitals have fewer patients with private insurance compared to larger cities, they rely more on Medicaid which is severely limited in Alabama. As a result, 17 rural hospitals in Alabama have closed since 2005, and many are teetering on the edge of solvency. In fact, a recent report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform said that there were 30 hospitals in Alabama that were at risk for closure. Although there is no perfect solution, the United States Department of
Agriculture Rural Development has a loan program that can make a difference. With a loan portfolio over $224.5 billion, the mission of the Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program is to provide funding for essential services to the local community, which includes hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Depending on the circumstances, the program has several funding opportunities, including low interest direct loans, grants, or the Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program, which provides loan guarantees to eligible lenders for essential rural facilities. This (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)
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RELEAS E WHO ARE WE?
Representative Terri Sewell speaks at the construction site of the Medical West replacement facility.
Oak Street Health Arrives in Birmingham By Jane ehrhardt
Anita Varkey, MD
A new type of primary care clinic has opened in Birmingham focused exclusively on seniors. “Oak Street Health’s mission is to rebuild healthcare as it should be, and we are passionate about bringing our unique model of care to older adults across the country,” says Anita Varkey, MD, senior medical director for the Southeast. Over the past nine years, Oak Street has opened 125 centers across 20 states. The organization looks for locations with a Medicare-eligible population that has been historically underserved in order to make healthcare easily accessible to that community. “Our decision to open a clinic in Birmingham, specifically in CenterPoint, was very in-
tentional,” Varkey says. They estimate the center will provide the new healthcare option to the nearly 15 percent of the city’s residents 65 years and older. Using a value-based model of care, Oak Street approaches interactions with their patients differently. “We are not focused on the volume of patients or services provided,” Varkey says. Instead, they aim at prevention and managing chronic conditions to avoid hospitalization through dedicated attention and meticulousness. For instance, patient relationship managers and nurses reach out to patients between visits by phone and even in-person for check-ins and problem solving. “Our goal is to prevent illness. We do that by being high-touch,” Varkey says. More vulnerable patients coming
www.birminghammedicalnews.com
Disclosure of protected hea years and it is a simple way t out of the hospital or facingAs a new experience. theseridemands ous illness or complicated chronic conto relieve staff, dition mayway be seen at the clinic everyenhanc three to four weeks, even if they are assurances.
handling the situation well, since the mission is to prevent problems, not just respond to them. In return, Medicare does not pay the clinic for each service or procedure performed as with traditional health-OF IN RELEASE care, but rather with a monthly lump The benefits ofusing ou sum per patient dependent on their better Any patient health status and conditions. costscare all w retention beyond that amount, client Oak Street must rates w cover themselves. The freedom from fee-based reSUPPOR strictions opens Oak AUDIT Street Health to devising their own approach care. Our audittocoordinators “We operate in a team-based quickly,model,” economically (CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)
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