Colfax eyes possibility of Marshfield Clinic mobile primary care unit
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PRIMARY CARE ON WHEELS — Members of the Colfax Village Board toured the Marshfield Clinic Health System’s first-ever mobile primary care unit during a special village board meeting March 24. Judy Kruse (middle of the photograph), Marshfield’s director of business strategy and operations, waits to give the tour to village trustees Jen Rud (left on photo) and Margaret Burcham (climbing the steps). —photo by LeAnn R. Ralph
By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — On the outside, it looks like a big, boxy pink and purple bus.
On the inside, it’s a primary healthcare clinic on wheels.
And although there are a number of details that must still be worked out, Colfax could be the first location where Marshfield Clinic Health Systems puts to use its very first mobile primary care unit.
Three representatives of the Marshfield Clinic Health System met with the Colfax Village Board at a special meeting March 24 to talk about the mobile primary care unit and included Judy Kruse, director business strategy and operations; Jeff Tucker, vice president of business development and care innovation; and Tanya Scherf, manager of business health solutions.
“We are hoping to find a solution for your community,” Kruse said.
Colfax has been without a healthcare provider since Mayo Clinic decided to close the location at the former Area Nursing Home July 1, 2016.
Marshfield Clinic’s mission is to bring patient-centered affordable healthcare to rural areas and small communities, Kruse said.
The Marshfield Clinic Health System currently has 60 clinical locations in 40 communities around Wisconsin and has nine hospitals, 10 dental clinics, 17 pharmacies and 33 clinical laboratories, she said.
The Marshfield Clinic’s children’s hospital in Marshfield is one of only four children’s hospitals in Wisconsin, Kruse said.
Kruse noted that she has worked for Marshfield Clinic for 12 years, and that in the last four years, the healthcare system has doubled the number of employees.
According to information provided to the village board, Marshfield Clinic Health System employs 12,000 people and has 1,400 healthcare providers.
The mobile care unit was specifically developed to provide healthcare for communities that do not have a “brick and mortar” site. In rural communities, it is generally a drive of many miles to reach a healthcare provider, Kruse said.
The mobile primary care unit can provide preventive care to minor acute care, she said.
For any medical emergencies that arrive at the mobile primary care unit, the nurse practitioner will call 911, and the technicians on the unit will provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) until the ambulance arrives, Kruse said.
The mobile primary care unit can also do lab draws and can collect other samples, process the samples for the lab to run tests, and then a courier will take those samples to a Marshfield lab, and the results will be done in 24 hours, she said.
The mobile primary care unit can also do immunizations, such as tetanus, influenza and for SARS-CoV-2, although more “special” immunizations may have to be scheduled, Kruse said.
Services
Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer, mentioned wellness visits for children.
Right now, the primary care unit can see patients who are 15 years or older, but pediatric services are expected to be able to be provided sometime this summer, either June or July, Kruse said.
The mobile primary care unit will most likely be able to treat children who are two years old and older. A sick infant should really be seen at an emergency room, she said.
The mobile primary care unit will be able to provide treatment for common illnesses, such as upper respiratory infection, cough/cold/sore throat/strep throat, sinus infection, skin rash, urinary tract infection and heartburn, according to information provided to the village board.
In addition, the mobile primary care unit will be able to provide annual preventive check-ups, including physicals for school, blood pressure screenings, skin cancer screenings, and will be able to provide help managing common chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease.
The nurse practitioner also will be able to see minor work injuries, Kruse noted.
How often?
Jeff Prince, village trustee, asked how many days per week the mobile primary care unit would be in Colfax.
That will depend on how many patients seek healthcare, Kruse said.
The mobile primary care unit may start out with taking appointments for one day per week, and if more time is needed in Colfax, additional days will be scheduled, she said.
Prince asked where the mobile primary care unit would be stationed.
The unit has to be somewhere that is close to the Colfax Rescue Squad in case of emergencies. The Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center has an area next to the facility where a clinic could be built in the future, so perhaps at Colfax Health and Rehab, Niggemann said.
The unit has a lift to help patients with mobility issues, Kruse said.
Will people have to make appointments, or will the mobile primary care unit be able to take walk-ins?asked Jen Rud, village trustee.
The unit will be able to take walk-ins, but there will be a process for getting the person on the schedule. If someone is a Mayo Health System patient, that person will be assigned a Marshfield patient number so the visit is documented into their medical record, Kruse said.
The mobile primary care unit will be able to bill Medicare or Medicaid. If a patient is in a “narrow network” Mayo plan, the cost of care will be out of pocket, she said.
Many health insurance plans are dual for both Mayo and Marshfield, and Marshfield is currently working on a “cash menu” for services. Federal law mandates that preventive healthcare is covered by insurance companies, Kruse said.
The mobile primary care unit will have a dedicated appointment line for people to call to make their appointments, she said.
What’s next?
Marshfield Clinic Health System can do an open house with the mobile primary care unit and set it up somewhere in Colfax so people can come in and tour the unit and get information, Kruse said.
Employers in Colfax, the school district and the community at large would be welcome to tour the unit, she said.
The next step will be to schedule a meeting with the employers in Colfax, the school district and the village board, Kruse said.