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Medical Practice Will Be Unique -- Mud Island Facility a Model in Health Care

Posted on: Tuesday, 18 October 2005, 09:01 CDT

By Mary Powers powers@commercialappealcom

A new model for delivering basic health care begins today when Harbor of Health opens on Mud Island.

The medical practice will operate like many traditional primary care offices. The staff includes Dr. Susan Nelson, a family practice physician, and nurse practitioner Melody Breeden. They will handle problems ranging from diabetes and hypertension to preventive services like well-baby checkups and annual health screenings. The practice will rely on insurance and patients to pay its bills.

But other aspects of the practice will be more unusual. Ten percent of patients will be uninsured. Medical records will be electronic. Alternative therapies like massage and acupuncture will be offered. The office includes a wellness center next door, and patients can buy practice memberships.

For $50 a month, members receive additional services. Those include a health care manager to alert them if the doctor is running behind schedule or to follow up on treatment recommendations. Patients are guaranteed same-day appointments if they call by 10 a.m., as well as free or reduced-priced exercise classes or alternative health services.

Backers hope the practice will serve as an incubator, a place to demonstrate the commercial viability of new approaches for delivering basic health services that include caring for the uninsured and helping businesses control employee health costs.

"We are not looking to take patients from their current physicians. The whole point is to help primary care doctors develop a new model. We want to show these ideas will work in the real world and don't require a subsidy to make them happen," said Dr. Scott Morris, Church Health Center founder and executive director.

Successful strategies will be available to Mid-South physicians at no cost, he said.

The practice, at 518 Harbor Bend in Mud Island's retail district, hopes to attract 500 members the first year. Membership stood at 20 late last week.

Partners in the effort are The Church Health Center, Methodist Healthcare, First Tennessee and individuals affiliated with Morgan Keegan.

Mike Cates, Memphis Medical Society executive vice president, called the effort a bold experiment that will be followed by the Mid- South medical community. "So much of this is so new, you don't want to be the first one on the block to try the ideas out," he said.

Paula Lockard of South Memphis was touring the facility during a recent open house with other Morgan Keegan employees. She said the location and services mean she will likely use the center, at least sometimes.

It's just minutes from where she works Downtown in the firm's accounting department. That compares with the nearly one-hour round trip she currently faces if she has to leave work for a doctor's appointment.

But Lockard said the membership fee is "a little pricey for me." Besides, she likes her primary care provider and participates in aerobics classes three days a week at her church.

More information about Harbor of Health is available online at harborofhealth.com.

- Mary Powers: 529-2383

Source: Commercial Appeal, The

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