Health Quest Medical Practice: In A League Of It's Own

Access to primary medical care can be a concern for consumers and healthcare systems alike. Health Quest Medical Practice has carefully constructed a multispecialty network of medical providers across the Mid-Hudson Valley—stretching from Margaretville to Carmel—allowing you to say goodbye to long commutes for medical care.

by Health Quest

Content Partner: Health Quest

Joseph Christiana, MD, FACC, Chief Medical Officer of HQMP, explains that HQMP has grown significantly to meet the community’s medical needs. In addition to introducing innovative technologies and treatments to the area, HQMP added more than 30 providers.

“As the medical practice grows, we’ve built a large network of primary care providers and specialists, so we can fully integrate patients into our system,” Dr. Christiana says. “Without driving significant distance, area patients have access to treatment for a broad range of health concerns—from the common cold to complex surgical procedures.”

A TEAM APPROACH

While treating the common cold may only require a simple primary care visit, more complex or chronic conditions can necessitate making multiple appointments with several specialists and venturing out to different locations for each visit.

HQMP offers a more streamlined approach. Because primary care physicians and specialists are unified under the same network umbrella, referrals for specialist care are easily facilitated and often fielded by dedicated care coordinators who assist patients with making appointments and guiding patients through what can be complicated courses of treatment.

For example, patients with lung cancer need care from a team of specialists, including radiation therapists, oncologists and interventional radiologists. Patient care coordinators arrange all the specialist appointments and when possible, arrange them to take place in the same location on the same day

Lung cancer care exemplifies the necessity for the collaborative multidisciplinary approach that HQMP extends to all patients. Systemwide electronic health records connect physicians caring for patients inside hospitals and out, simplifying transitions between inpatient and outpatient care.

MANAGERIAL EXCELLENCE

To enhance the care patients receive throughout the HQMP network, the system is participating in the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. CPCI is founded upon three principal pillars—care coordination, high quality services and patient-centered care—and HQMP’s involvement significantly benefits Mid-Hudson Valley residents by offering:

24/7 accessible care
care coordinators to shepherd patients through the system, as well as heightened provider coordination throughout the system
emphasis on preventive care, which leads to fewer healthcare expenditures
tailored care plans for patients whose conditions require increased healthcare attention
more opportunities to engage patients and caregivers to take active roles in the management of their own health

After leaving the physician’s office, patients are on their own, and historically, many complications have risen from failing to fill prescriptions or taking the wrong medications. As part of the CPCI initiative, care coordinators provide disease and medication information during routine office visits and follow up with patients in the following days to ensure they fill their prescriptions correctly and don’t experience side effects. Care coordinators also call to remind patients of approaching follow-up appointments for physician visits or laboratory tests.

“Our participation in quality initiatives is important to us,” Dr. Christiana says. “We care for as many patients as we can, but we stress that the quality of that care is most important.”

Visit www.health-quest.org/hqmp to find a HQMP location near you, or meet our HQMP physicians online through our “meet the doc” videos here.