State Representative Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) visited the Third Street Family Health Services last week to take a tour of the facility and hear current happenings, as well as provide advice to the facility’s staff.
One of the considerations Romanchuk recommended the Third Street staff consider is the Community Health Access Project (CHAP).
Chief Operating Officer Nicole Williams noted that Third Street has recently been collaborating with CHAP concerning their OB/GYN patients who are considered “high-risk.” Williams explained that the high amount of risk caused by infant mortalities is one of the main reasons why their partnership with CHAP is focused on the OB/GYN services.
“I think there is some real value to doing this CHAP model for all high risk individuals,” said Romanchuk. “I’m working at the state level to try to implement community hubs like the CHAP model throughout the whole state and expand it, not just toward infant mortality issues, but other issues, as well.”
The CHAP model focuses on reaching those at greatest risk (high-risk individuals) to assure that they connect to primary care and prevention services. Romanchuk stated, “The high risk individuals make up maybe less than five percent of the population but use 50 percent of the money, so if we can help do a better job with that five percent, we can help with the long-term costs.”
Romanchuk stated that he has been collaborating with Doctors Mark and Sarah Redding in trying to expand the community hub model throughout the Ohio.
Similar to the community hub model, Third Street has begun adapting to the Primary Care Medical Home (PCMH) within the medical sector, said Williams. The hope is to begin implementation by the beginning of next year and then possibly implement it in OB/GYN, too.
Looking ahead, as more and more people become insured due to the Affordable Care Act, Third Street is likely to absorb more of the uninsured populations, said CEO Jared Pollick in a previous meeting.
“We’re built to take on the additional insured patients,” Williams said.
Romanchuk commented, “Going forward, theses FQHCs (Federally Qualified Health Centers) are going to be important because I think up 30 percent of the doctors in Ohio are no longer taking Medicaid; I’m not sure if that includes Medicare, but there’s a growing trend that they’re going to stop taking these individuals and so these facilities are going to be absolutely critical.”
Currently, the breakdown of populations served by Third Street amounts to approximately 30.5 percent private pay individuals, 32 percent managed care individuals, 20 percent private insurance individuals, 11.1 percent Medicare individuals, and 6.3 percent Medicaid individuals.
Third Street Family Health Services functions as a non-profit FQHC and offers care to any patient that needs assistance. If a patient is at or below 200 percent of the poverty line, a discounted rate is applied to the fee. If a patient is at 100 percent of the poverty line, only a nominal fee is charged.
Third Street Family Health Services receives federal grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) through Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act.
To find out more about Third Street Family Health Services, go to http://tsfhs.org/. To schedule an appointment, call 419-522-6191.
“The high risk individuals make up maybe less than five percent of the population but use 50 percent of the money, so if we can help do a better job with that five percent, we can help with the long-term costs,” stated Rep. Mark Romanchuk.
