More patients will be able to be treated at the MSU Care Clinic after the medical facility recently began allowing patients with Medicaid to be treated there.
The MSU Care Clinic is a medical clinic with a mission to provide primary and consistent healthcare to underinsured or underserved patients. It’s a collaboration between Mercy Hospital Springfield and Missouri State University, and it’s located in the O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center on Missouri State’s campus.
MSU Care serves adult patients, ages 18-64, who have a household income equal to or less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Previously the MSU Care Clinic did not accept Medicaid enrollees, but after Medicaid expansion in Missouri allowed more people to receive care through the federal program, the clinic lost more than 80% of its patients. Justin Gassel, practice manager at the MSU Care Clinic, said that, three years ago, the clinic saw an average of 330 patients a month. Today, that number is closer to 85. The clinic made the decision to begin accepting Medicaid on September 3 in order to allow more people to qualify for the clinic's help.
“The Medicaid expansion was immensely helpful to patients across the state," said Gassel, "but it meant that most of the patients we had built relationships with and who trusted us with their care could no longer continue seeing us. This will restore our ability to care for some of our community's most underserved patients for whom there are limited options for care.”
The MSU Care Clinic also hopes to continue offering medical help to underinsured patients with basic health concerns that need to be addressed. Gassel said the clinic is a far better option for underinsured patients than the emergency room.
“(It) allows our patients to get primary care in a way that's not slapping a band aid on or a one-and-done treatment," he said. "They are getting to work with a provider continuously without the fear that there is going to be a huge financial burden on them for taking care of themselves.”
The MSU Care Clinic offers a variety of services, including primary care, health screenings, diabetes care, mental health referrals and an on-site dietician and pharmacist.