Swedish Medical Center in Ballard opened an innovative clinic today that aims to take a “medical home” approach to health care. Swedish says it’s the first clinic in the country to adopt the model from the ground up.
Explains Local Health Guide Online:
“The idea behind the medical-home model is to create a primary-care team that provides continuous, coordinated care to patients at one location so that patients do not need to scurry from doctor to doctor and specialist to specialist to have all their health problems addressed.”
The clinic promises more holistic, preventative care at lower prices — as low as $45 a month. It also aims to break the “appointment treadmill” with longer and more flexible appointments including fast-turnaround clinic visits, doctor phone calls and email consultations. “Our bottom line will be the long-term health and well being of our patients,” says Carol Cordy, M.D., medical director for the new clinic. “Spending the necessary time to really get to know our patients, providing 100 percent of the recommended preventive care and keeping their chronic conditions in excellent control will help them stay out of the emergency department and hospital, and will help control costs for both patients and payers.” Lots more details on the clinic’s site right here.
