Medical network adds 13 outlets

Northwest Health Systems opened 13 health-care facilities this year to meet expected patient demand, officials at the hospital said.

Jon Maner, vice president of physician services for the hospital, said the plan is to make health care accessible to patients.

“Our goal was to look at the places where the Northwest system have patients originating from,” Maner said. “What we are trying to do is bridge that gap and get that primary care to convenient locations.”

Ten health-care clinics opened in Springdale, Johnson, Lowell, Bentonville, Centerton and Fayetteville. Five of the clinics are located in Springdale. Two outpatient facilities also opened in Springdale and one in Bentonville.

All of the clinics have X-ray and lab facilities on site, said Patricia Driscoll, hospital system director of marketing and business development.

“Some have specialty clinic hours for cardiology and podiatry,” Driscoll said in an email. “Several have Saturday and extended morning and evening hours and walkin hours.”

The outpatient facilities offer additional services such as physical therapy and social work, Driscoll said.

Maner said a main focus of the expansion is to offer accessible primary care in the region.

“Northwest Arkansas already has a substantial population growth and primary care is a shortage in the country,” Maner said. “We also expect a substantial amount of people will be added to insurance that they did not have accessto before.”

Driscoll said it has been reported that 50,000 to 90,000 uninsured people in Northwest Arkansas will qualify for health-care services through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Program benefits start Jan. 1.

Maner said people who do not have insurance oftentimes fail to see primary health-care providers.

“A lot of people who didn’t have the resources are now going to start getting preventative services and establish a relationship with ahealth-care provider,” Maner said. “There are things that primary care providers do everyday. They can advert a series of health consequences by helping the patients get the services they need. The start of that process is primary care and that is why we are trying to expand across the system and make sure people have the resources.”

Primary care has been a focus for the hospital. However, the system also has opened clinics that have specialized focuses.

The Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center of Northwest Arkansas offers a service unavailable anywhere else in Northwest Arkansas, Maner said. He said a doctor that focuses on high-risk pregnancies was recruited for the clinic.

The Northwest Medical Plaza at Sugar Creek in Bentonville focuses on internal medicine. Another office located in the same building offers geriatric services.

Ranga Balasekaran, a gastroenterologist, works out of Northwest Gastroenterology in Springdale. He also rotates to other clinics in the system. He said the clinics make care more accessible and efficient for patients.

“The plan is to have physicians available including specialists closer to home,” Balasekaran said. “One of the nice things we have at Northwest is that everyone is on the same computer system, so that provides better communication so that the patient is informed on their status. It allows me to coordinate care better. It allows me to keep my patient informed.”

Driscoll said the system plans to open another clinic in Rogers in January. The facility will be located on New Hope Road and will offer five to six physicians and two nurse practitioners.

Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas also has plans for expansion, said Jessica Eldred, Mercy spokesman. The hospital plans to open a clinic in Bella Vista by the end of the year. It is also in the developmental stage for a facility in downtown Rogers and Centerton.

“Everyone knows the uniqueness of our Northwest Arkansas community, and if you want to thrive in it versus merely exist, you have to stay both in touch and ahead,” said Steve Goss, Mercy president. “We understand our role as a health-care provider for our community, and we look at it from many angles. If we see an uptick in growth in a certain part of Northwest Arkansas, such as Centerton, we need to make sure we are there with a Mercy clinic. When our community study showed an unmet need in senior behavioral health services, we addressed it.”