Miami-based primary-care provider ChenMed plans to expand into the Cleveland market, as well as into Cincinnati, Memphis, Tenn., Orlando, Fla., and St. Louis, while growing within its current 14 markets.
ChenMed announced Tuesday, Dec. 3, that it plans to establish multiple centers, all branded as a Dedicated Senior Medical Center, in each of the five new cities, opening a total of 20 new medical practices in the next year. It aims to transform primary care for tens of thousands of presently underserved seniors, according to a news release.
In Cleveland, ChenMed will open three clinics sometime next summer. While they're still finalizing the exact locations, the facilities will be in West Park, Maple Heights and East Cleveland. Dr. Gaurov Dayal, ChenMed's president of new markets and chief growth officer, said ChenMed looks for underserved areas with many seniors who aren't getting the care they need.
On average, clinics are about 10,000 square feet in size, depending on the market and space, Dayal said. Each has the ability to serve about 3,000 patients, which will take a few years for ChenMed to work up to.
Dayal said he anticipates ChenMed will grow in the future beyond three locations in the Cleveland market, which he estimates could support as many as 10 clinics.
"We're enjoying a record year at ChenMed," Dr. Christopher Chen, ChenMed CEO, said in a prepared statement. "So, as a mission-driven company long focused on revolutionizing primary care for at-risk seniors, we're self-funding a record number of new centers in 2020. Our proven and scalable approach to primary care is precisely what Medicare-eligible seniors in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Memphis, Orlando and St. Louis need to thrive."
The company has sustained average annual growth exceeding 35% since 2010, according to the release. Following the new openings, ChenMed will have nearly 80 centers in 10 states.
ChenMed, a value-based provider, separates itself from traditional fee-for-service medical practices by making it easy for patients to stay connected with their doctor, according to the release. Doctors provide personalized primary care and give patients their personal cellphone numbers for timely replies to texts or calls.
"Our bold 2020 expansion means we're aggressively recruiting outstanding primary-care physicians to help us serve at-risk seniors in 19 markets, with even more hires anticipated in 2021," Dayal said in a prepared statement. "And, as a physician-led, high-growth medical practice, we are currently offering great careers with a fast track to partnership in 10 states."
Dayal said in the release that ChenMed's primary-care doctors serve an average of 400 patients each, which is less than one-fifth the national average of 2,300 patients per doctor.
ChenMed primary-care physicians average 10 times more face-to-face time with their patients than a typical physician, according to the release.
"The more doctors see their patients, the better they know them," Chen said in a prepared statement. "And the better they know them, the better chance they have of helping them stay healthy by catching small issues before they turn into big ones."
Personalized care benefits for ChenMed patients include, according to the release: door-to-doctor transportation, if necessary; having the cellphone number for their ChenMed primary-care physician; walk-in appointments; unlimited visits; on-site cardiology, medication dispensing, imaging, labs, acupuncture and more; healthy lifestyle classes; and almost all costs of care covered by fixed Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements that are enhanced by Medicare Advantage supplemental insurance.
This article was originally published in Crain's Cleveland Business.
