New Albany Area Primary Health Care clinic now open

ALBANY — Growth at the Mirian Worthy Women’s Health Center, the OB/GYN clinic under Albany Area Primary Health Care, made it necessary to move the facility recently from its 401 S. Madison St. location into a former arthritis and orthopedic center facility at 2100 Palmyra Road.

The South Madison facility now has a new purpose as the Hotz Scoggins Family Medical Center, which the community appears to be embracing, according to officials.

The center opened on July 6 with two physician assistants, who will be followed by a pediatrician later this month and a family practice physician currently being recruiting, available to see patients.

Clifton Bush, chief operating officer for AAPHC, said the facility is unique in that it has same-day appointments for those who are sick, and that it is working with AAPHC patients discharged from the hospital to make sure they are back in their doctor’s office within a two-week window.

The standard is within two weeks after discharge, and if that cannot be accomplished with a patient’s primary care provider, patients are routed to the Hotz Scoggins clinic for the initial visit and sent back later.

“This helps with people being re-admitted to the hospital,” Bush said.

The goal, Bush said, is to provide the resources patients need to make sure they are seen in a timely manner. In some cases, often when there is no primary care provider, hospital staff will call and set up an appointment on the patient’s behalf.

Such follow-up visits have been known to prevent hospital re-admissions, thereby saving productivity and health care dollars.

Bush said so far the patient base is receptive to the clinic’s model.

“People are loving the clinic,” he said. “A lot of people are starting to call. Patients (have also been) timely. They are showing up for appointments.

“It is going well, and word is getting out. There have been great comments so far about the clinic.”

Alex Polsinelli, a PA who also serves as the clinic’s director, said the facility has already started providing benefits to patients. New patients are coming in due to the same-day appointments, and many of the patients who visit the clinic are individuals who have not been to see a doctor in some time.

“One of our biggest things is trying to keep people out of the hospital,” Polsinelli said. “It is better for the patient overall. It gets them the care they need.”

Polsinelli said the staff also provides patient education, which has proven especially beneficial for those who rarely see a doctor and do not know what to expect.

“By having this clinic, it has lightened the burden on other clinics,” he said.

The overall goal, clinic officials say, is similar to any other health care facility: a healthier community.

“(We are) making sure people have access and are not going without care,” Bush said.

In addition to the two physician assistants on staff, there are also two nurses, a phlebotomist, a social worker helping with care coordination, and two staff members at the front desk. An open house is planned for the clinic on Wednesday, which will include a program with a ribbon-cutting beginning at 8 a.m.

The clinic is open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays and is accepting new patients. For more information, call (229) 405-6959.