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The Neosho headquarters of a local network of health care clinics was honored as Industry of the Month on Friday and they had an announcement to make.
Access Family Care’s primary mission is to provide health care to the uninsured and underinsured. It has three clinics across the area: health care and dental clinics in Joplin and Anderson and a health care clinic in Cassville. For the past five years its offices have been located in Neosho.
After receiving a resolution from the city of Neosho and a plaque from the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Al Chapman, Access board chair, had an announcement of his own: Access Family Care will open a Neosho clinic in the next year. In a Thursday evening meeting, the board agreed to purchase the 412 East McKinney Street clinic formerly operated by Dr. Edward Porter, who retired last spring.
“We’re going to purchase that and set up a clinic here in Neosho,” Chapman announced Friday morning, “We’re pleased about it. We think it’s a good site, an area where there will be a lot of walk-ins so we feel good about it. The board was really excited.”
The group is also working to build a facility in Cassville. When they move from their leased facility to the new one they can begin to offer dental services. Neosho’s clinic will initially offer only health care services.
“I think we can do it by summer,” Chapman said. “It takes a little time to set everything up.”
Grants must be rewritten to include the new location and some minor renovations must be made to the building.
“It won’t take much,” Chapman said.
The current Neosho office serves as a headquarters for their other operations and is also used for training purposes. Its 15 employees handle electronic billing and send out Medicare, Medicaid and insurance claims. The accounting department keeps them in compliance with federal grants.
Patients can pay with Medicare, Medicaid, insurance and there is a sliding scale of fees for those on a cash basis. Because they serve the underserved sometimes there is confusion about who they take as patients, said Access CEO Don McBride.
“We don’t turn anyone away,” he said. “We’ll see them all.”
Sometimes people refer to the clinic as a ‘poor person’s clinic,’ but the care is just as good as a private physician, McBride said, sometimes even better.
The Neosho headquarters of a local network of health care clinics was honored as Industry of the Month on Friday and they had an announcement to make.
Access Family Care’s primary mission is to provide health care to the uninsured and underinsured. It has three clinics across the area: health care and dental clinics in Joplin and Anderson and a health care clinic in Cassville. For the past five years its offices have been located in Neosho.
After receiving a resolution from the city of Neosho and a plaque from the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Al Chapman, Access board chair, had an announcement of his own: Access Family Care will open a Neosho clinic in the next year. In a Thursday evening meeting, the board agreed to purchase the 412 East McKinney Street clinic formerly operated by Dr. Edward Porter, who retired last spring.
“We’re going to purchase that and set up a clinic here in Neosho,” Chapman announced Friday morning, “We’re pleased about it. We think it’s a good site, an area where there will be a lot of walk-ins so we feel good about it. The board was really excited.”
The group is also working to build a facility in Cassville. When they move from their leased facility to the new one they can begin to offer dental services. Neosho’s clinic will initially offer only health care services.
“I think we can do it by summer,” Chapman said. “It takes a little time to set everything up.”
Grants must be rewritten to include the new location and some minor renovations must be made to the building.
“It won’t take much,” Chapman said.
The current Neosho office serves as a headquarters for their other operations and is also used for training purposes. Its 15 employees handle electronic billing and send out Medicare, Medicaid and insurance claims. The accounting department keeps them in compliance with federal grants.
Patients can pay with Medicare, Medicaid, insurance and there is a sliding scale of fees for those on a cash basis. Because they serve the underserved sometimes there is confusion about who they take as patients, said Access CEO Don McBride.
“We don’t turn anyone away,” he said. “We’ll see them all.”
Sometimes people refer to the clinic as a ‘poor person’s clinic,’ but the care is just as good as a private physician, McBride said, sometimes even better.
Federal funds offset their cost of doing business, but to keep up their federal grants they must prove that they are a good option, not just the only option for those who use their clinic. They measure and document care for federal reporting and strive for excellence.
“We provide awesome care,” McBride said, “We have to.”
One of their federal requirements is to have half their board made of consumer users — patients. That grassroots approach keeps them connected, he said.
“It’s really a wonderful opportunity for people to get medical and dental care who could not otherwise afford it,” said Access COO Dr. Debora Davidson.
Access Family Care has approximately 130 employees spread across the area and they are currently adding a third full-time medical professional to help with the dental services in Cassville.
