A new healthcare center is coming online in the Capital Region.
The grand opening for Wellness Way, a shared space for Community Care Physicians and insurance company CDPHP, was Tuesday in Latham. While some services have already been offered at the site, CCP CEO Dr. Shirish Parikh says the facility helps streamline healthcare.
“This enables the patients to seek care in a one-stop shop manner, and also have their insurance needs and questions addressed. We are working collaboratively to reduce the hassle factor for patients and subscribers by deploying technology and by bringing more state-of-the-art services into our community in an ambulatory setting.”
CDPHP President and CEO Dr. John Bennett says it’s a natural collaboration, with both organizations working to improve regional healthcare outcomes.
“It’s really all about the patient experience, whatever they have to do, a lot of it can be gotten in this building, right? If they need imaging, there's nothing we can't do in this building, so they can just have it. We obviously have our pharmacy, where anybody can use our pharmacy, even if you're not a CDPHP member.”
State Assemblyman John McDonald of the 108th District says, as a pharmacist, he understands how confusing the healthcare system can be.
“Health care means you're taking care of people after the fact. Obviously, the tone is different just when you drive in here, when you see the term Wellness Way, that's what the message is, to make sure that every patient is treated with respect, one stop shop and same token, make sure that the providers are able to practice to their strength as opposed to being hampered.”
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy is a fellow Democrat.
“How many times [do] you go for therapy, and they said, ‘Well, you're not covered for this,’ or you go to your dermatologist, ‘you're not covered for this, you might get billed.’ And then, ‘oh, we can't give you this service because your insurance doesn't cover it.’ Now, you got them right here sitting there, going, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, they are covered. Give them the stuff that they need.’”
Colonie Town Supervisor Peter Crummey, a Republican, applauded the announcement, saying 40,000 of the town’s 86,000 residents live within three miles of the facility.
“This particular facility is the largest privately owned healthcare facility in the Capital Region.”
Meantime, CDPHP and The Lifetime Healthcare Companies announced a proposed merger earlier this year. The Lifetime Healthcare Companies is the parent of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and Univera Healthcare. If the plan proceeds, Lifetime would also become CDPHP’s parent company. The companies say the affiliation would allow the insurance companies to retain their local brands while gaining economies of scale.
Services available at the 263,000-square foot, two-story facility just north of Route 7 include pediatrics, internal medicine, imaging and radiation, as well as physical therapy, gastroenterology, endoscopy, breast surgery, audiology, obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology, podiatry, behavioral health, vein care, and phlebotomy.
