Aspirus St. Luke's Clinics Certified as a Health Care Home

The following St. Luke’s clinics received official certification as a health care home on January 29.

• Bay Area Medical Clinic
• Chequamegon Clinic
• Denfeld Medical Clinic
• Lester River Medical Clinic
• Mariner Medical Clinic
• Miller Creek Medical Clinic
• Mount Royal Medical Clinic
• PS Rudie Medical Clinic
• St. Luke’s Internal Medicine Associates

St. Luke’s Pediatric Associates received their recertification as a health care home.

As a health care home, clinic staff is focused on a team approach to managing an individual’s health care. A health care home is a team approach to care that gives a patient access to all the services and support he or she needs; it is not a building, nursing home, or home health care. A team of medical professionals, relatives, friends, and other members will help coordinate care, assist with accessibility to specialty services and community resources, and arrange additional support, if needed.

In a health care home, a patient continues ongoing care with a primary care provider and that provider partners with other medical specialists and connects patients to other health care services, support networks, and community services. “We are focused on the patient’s entire well-being rather than a specific part or issue,” said Kimberlie Terhaar, St. Luke’s director of clinic operations. “Our health care team works together to create an individualized plan based on the patient’s unique needs.”

There are many benefits of a health care home including:

• Patient is the central and a valued health care team member
• Coordinated care based on specific needs
• Arranged specialty care and community services
• Improved ability to communicate and schedule appointments with the health care team