Oak Street Health opens new care center in Jeffersonville
Aug. 22—JEFFERSONVILLE — The lobby at Oak Street Health, a new health care clinic for Medicare users, is open, bright and clean.
That's just one part of what distinguishes the medical office, which focuses on keeping people on Medicare healthy and out of the hospital.
"We are on a mission to rebuild healthcare as it should be," said Dr. Travis Schamber, medical director for Oak Street Health in Indiana and Kentucky. "They say we are practicing old fashioned medicine. We are focused on quality care. (A large amount of) time with patient and preventative care are our main priorities to keep our patients happy, healthy and especially out of the hospital."
The primary care office is located at 1437 E. 10th St. in Jeffersonville, in the Youngstown Shopping Center.
"One of the reasons you see us in the area where we are in Jeffersonville, we have a really strategic way we grow, we look to see where the Medicare eligible patients are and where the underserved patients are," Schamber said.
Health care teams are built into the care system at Oak Street Health and the goal is to engage patients for first-time visits and spend a large chunk of time with them during appointments.
"Our shortest office appointment is 20 minutes and our longest is 40 minutes," Schamber said.
Oak Street Health checks in with their patients often and makes sure to see the healthiest of patients every three months and people who need more care every three weeks.
Doctors at Oak Street Health also have smaller caseloads, allowing them to spend more time with patients.
"Ultimately we are trying to bring the level of health care up in the entire community we find ourselves in," Schamber said.
It's more than a doctor's office and it offers a community space for Medicare patients where people can come and get a snack, water or coffee and spend time with others.
"As our center gets underway, we find the personalities of our communities and things people like to do, we have rooms (where there's) chair exercise, or line dancing or bingo," Schamber said. "So many of our seniors are without social support and the safety net they need. We lean heavily into the social indicators of health...Sometimes these seniors just need a place to come and be social, and feel that support and have a chosen family."
Oak Street Health had about 80 patients on the books when they opened last week in Jeffersonville.
Schamber said they accept most Medicare patients. It's open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and there's a telehealth options available 24/7 if patients need to be seen.
Oak Street Health started in 2012 with one center in Chicago.
"We reduce hospital admissions by 51 percent," Schamber said. "We reduce re-admissions by 40 percent."
Oak Street Health has two locations in Louisville, and several all across Indiana.
People who are interested in using its services, or signing up a loved one, can call 812-758-4177,or speak to a member of its outreach team in the community.
"Stop by and chat with them," Schamber said. "You can absolutely walk-in or call the main number on the website. If you walk in, we may be able to accommodate the same day, or we may be able to get you an appointment to get you back in."
