New York Times Profiles ‘Successful’ Rural Michigan Health Care Clinic

The New York Times on Wednesday profiled Crystal Lake Health Center, “one of the largest and most financially successful rural health clinics in Michigan.” This year, the clinic — which consists of a main center in Benzie County and three other centers in the area and which employs six physicians and 32 other health care providers — had 41,000 patient visits and more than $3.75 million in revenue this year. Rick Nielsen, a physician, founded the clinic with three partners in 1992. According to the Times, the partners had “three goals: excellent patient care, business profitability and maintaining a high quality of life for themselves and the staff.” The partners spent $3.4 million to build the four centers as part of an effort to operate closer to patients, and spent $250,000 on software, computers and training to establish an electronic health records system as part of an effort to improve efficiency, productivity and profitability. In addition, the partners have hired younger physicians. The clinic “embodies what Congress envisioned when it passed the Rural Health Clinic Services Act of 1977″ to improve health care in medically underserved rural areas and to promote a care delivery system that used practitioners, physician assistants and other primary care specialists, the Times reports. Under the law, rural health clinics receive higher Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, which are a “significant economic factor in keeping rural health clinics open” and account for half of the revenue of Crystal Lake Health Center. As a result of the law, the number of rural health clinics has increased to about 3,200 today from about 580 in 1990, Bill Finerfrock, executive director of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics, said (Schneider, New York Times, 11/15).

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