Eagan Clinic has 'healthy' jump on President

On the outside, it looks like every other health care clinic but on the inside, it is revolutionary.

Back in February this Eagan based Fairview health clinic started over.

After a financial partnership from health insurance giant Medica, this clinic put all of its providers on salary and did away with rewarding doctors for seeing more patients and ordering more tests.

"I'm much happier making my choices on what is the best thing for the patient," Dr. Peter Toensing said Wednesday.

The clinic completely changed.

Now, the staff works in teams, huddling up to three times a day to find out how to coordinate care so nothing gets duplicated, missed, or ordered without good reason.

12-thousand patients use this clinic and the goals of the staff are lofty.

Increase patient satisfaction from 75 to 90 percent. Improve quality of care. Increase capacity to 18-thousand patients and reduce cost of care by 20 percent.

"We have noticed increase productivity, and, starting to see some evidence that we might reduce costs," Valerie Overton, an RN with the clinic, said.

But it's too early to say how much of a reduction, or how much of an increase in efficiency since the plan has only been in action 6 months.

But one thing is certain, in this clinic the patient comes first. "We can do anything we need to get the patient healthy," Overton said.

There is no time limit on how long the doctor stays in a consult, that is up to the patient.

Because that consult doesn't just treat the acute problem it is a total care visit, to keep that patient as healthy as possible out of high cost er visits, and away from expensive specialty care, if it isn't needed.

Check out our KARE family of Web sites:
	takeKARE		Metromix
	Moms Like Me		Minnesota Bound
	Showcase Minnesota