Clinic touts new status

Anita Reyna probably couldn't say what a Federally Qualified Health Center look-alike designation is.

But when the 62-year-old Odessa resident heard it means a family practice physician specializing in geriatrics will soon be treating her and her mother at Medical Center Hospital's Family Health Clinic, she got excited.

"Oh, that's great," she said.

The designation means the clinic will see higher reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid, said Dorothy Reyes, the clinic's executive director.

Before the designation, the clinic would be reimbursed $19.52 for a 20-minute exam, Reyes said. While the clinic's reimbursement rate has yet to be set, a federally qualified clinic in Midland receives $114 for a similar visit.

Along with the new physician, who's expected to join the staff in July or August, Reyes said the clinic would be able to put the reimbursements toward a second dentist, along with a dental hygienist and two dental assistants.

Dr. Bruce Becker, MCH's chief medical officer, said the geriatric specialist would also be important.

"The baby boomers are getting older, and they'll need to acquire some of these services," he said.

The clinic currently has a family physician, a pediatrician and four nurse practitioners.

The clinic serves a valuable purpose, Becker said.

"They're not over-utilizing services," he said of patients. "But they get a rate that allows them to be healthy and well so they don't have to wait for an emergency (to be treated)."

One reason the clinic was able to get the federal designation was a recent increase in visits, Reyes said. In the first six months of fiscal year 2008, which ended March 31, the clinic saw 9,841 visitors. That's a 26.87 percent increase over the 7,757 visits it saw the first six months of fiscal year 2007.

Other help came from an 11-member board of directors the clinic set up in 2004, Reyes said. The board consists of both community leaders and patients at the clinic.

"They're the eyes and ears of the community," she said. "They know what's needed to increase access for medical and dental care."

Willie Taylor, executive director of the Permian Basin Workforce Development Board, is one of the board's members. He said the clinic's sliding payment scale was something that made him want to serve.

"It's a good community resource at a time when medical costs are skyrocketing," he said.

And Taylor's also a patient at the clinic.

"I would encourage everybody to go there and use the services," he said.