Clark County-based Vancouver Clinic recently expanded their patient-focused work into Oregon this month. Enliven by Vancouver Clinic, located at 340 NW Burnside in Gresham, opened for patient appointments the first week of January, and is part of Humana’s expanding Medicare Advantage plan network. This means that Enliven accepts all Humana Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans offered in Oregon.
Vancouver Clinic currently has two other specialty senior clinics, known as the Neighborhood Clinics. Vancouver Plaza opened in 2019 and Evergreen Place, opened in 2020. Both have performed well in patient and clinician satisfaction and have recently been featured in a national report published in Better Medicare Alliance.
Based on their work in Vancouver, Vancouver Clinic saw the need to expand their innovative healthcare model to Oregon.
“Based on the research in Oregon, working with Humana, we identified areas with large numbers of seniors but fewer providers,” shared Mark Mantei, CEO of Vancouver Clinic. “We think we can help fill that gap, provide excellent care for seniors, and continue to develop and build on our model of coordinated care. We added the name Enliven as part of our Vancouver Clinic brand because these are unique clinics set aside for seniors and our focus is on health and wellness – a sense of vitality and energy. Enliven wraps a circle of support around the patient helping them live their best life, no matter their age or medical issues.”
The clinic plans to leverage supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage by ensuring that patients get the benefits that they need for their specific situation.
Mantei explained, “We act as advocates for our patient panels and can work with Humana to tailor benefits to the needs of the population we are serving. This can change each year. We can leverage supports like transportation benefits and home urgent care visits. We have many more tools available to use through Medicare Advantage. The challenge can be utilizing those tools in what makes most sense for the individual patient. That’s the power of coordinating care – individualizing benefits to support each patient.”
Part of the individualized care that Vancouver Clinic is known for translates to longer appointment times with providers. Mantei shares that the national average doctor visit is 18 to 24 minutes, but Vancouver Clinic’s average is between 30 and 60 minutes, or longer depending on what is happening. In addition, the clinic is also working to build partnerships with social workers and other organizations that can help come alongside seniors for more well-rounded care, whether it be medical or non-medical.
“Vancouver Clinic currently has six social workers able to help with our senior patients,” stated Mantei. “We also coordinate with community partners such as Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities. In Gresham, we’re building relationships with nonprofit organizations like the Senior Center and Meals on Wheels. Partnerships are key to supporting our patients with non-medical needs.”
Currently, Vancouver Clinic is working with Humana to develop additional Enliven clinics in Oregon. They are hoping to announce their next locations soon, but are eyeing Northeast Portland and Clackamas, respectively. Construction is also currently underway at the 80,225 square foot Salmon Creek Vancouver Clinic campus and is scheduled to be completed in fall 2022.
