September 4, 2008

Broadlawns Medical Center Tackles Volume With New Primary Care Clinic

Des Moines, September 4, 2008 – The new Primary Care Clinic at Broadlawns Medical Center recently opened to a waiting list of several hundred patients seeking health care. With its other clinics exceeding patient load capacity, Broadlawns needed to take steps to ensure access to health care in the community.

The new clinic rounds out the clinics offered through the Broadlawns Medical Group and expands the capacity for services. “We have a solid base of clinics in the Broadlawns Medical Group, which comprises clinics in several specialties” said Jody Jenner, president and CEO of Broadlawns Medical Center. “These clinics provide outreach and accessibility to health care in several disciplines.”

Whereas the Family Health Center provides similar high-quality services to patients, it maintains a focus on providing education and training experiences for the residents in Broadlawns’ Family Medicine Residency Program. The new clinic focuses on developing long-term patient-provider relationships that will encourage regular visits and adherence to treatment programs.

“Many of the patients we are seeing suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension but have not had a permanent medical home and therefore do not keep up with treatment. This raises the risk of complications and the overall cost of health care,” said Douglas M. Workman, M.D., director of the Primary Care Clinic.

“In this type of clinic setting, we are able to help patients learn to manage their conditions, starting with more prevention, through a long-term relationship with a doctor,” added Workman. “Our goal is to help our patients be more accountable for their own health care.”

Services provided at the Primary Care Clinic include well visits and physicals; treatment for acute conditions such as the flu, sinusitis and seasonal allergies; chronic disease management and minor procedures such as skin surgery. The clinic is aligned with the specialists in other areas of Broadlawns such as the Internal Medicine Clinic, Foot and Ankle Clinic and Mental Health Services to provide continuity of care when patients need referrals for specialized care.

“Of course, we are excited about the project to reconstruct and renovate at Broadlawns,” added Jenner. “ Plans call for a new Broadlawns Medical Group building to house all the clinics, making access and continuity of care increasingly convenient.”

The new clinic is located on the second floor of Broadlawns Medical Center. In addition to the Primary Care Clinic, the Broadlawns Medical Group includes the Family Health Center, the Walk In Clinic, Dental Clinic, Women’s Health Care Center and Pediatric Clinic.

With a history that reaches back to 1903 as a community health center, Broadlawns Medical Center first opened its doors as a hospital to the residents of Polk County on April 13, 1924. Over the years, Broadlawns has adapted to the changing demands of public health care, yet remained true to its mission of offering quality health services to all Polk County residents and training tomorrow’s health care professionals.

Today, Broadlawns Medical Center is composed of:

• An acute care community hospital serving medical, surgical, mental health and
  primary care needs
• A 60-member physician practice overseeing numerous specialty clinics and
  outpatient services
• A Family Medicine Residency Program that graduates physician leaders who
  serve throughout Iowa and across the United States

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