News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Dr. Joseph Bachtold and Dr. Steve Greer cut the ribbon on the 6,000-square-foot St. Charles Family Care facility at Outlaw Station on the west side of Sisters.
It's a lot easier to find a "medical home" in Sisters these days.
St. Charles Family Care cut the ribbon on their new 6,000-square-foot facility in Sisters last week. The center is located in the Outlaw Station plaza along Highway 20, just west of Subway.
The facility significantly expands the capabilities of St. Charles Family Care. An on-site lab allows bloodwork to be done in Sisters five days a week, relieving patients of a need to travel to Bend. The lab is not just for patients at St. Charles.
"It's a place to get your blood drawn for any provider," said Dr. Steve Greer.
The availability of blood work makes treatment more efficient.
"We can get lab results that day, which we couldn't do before," Dr. Greer said.
Similarly, those with possible fractures or other such injuries can get service at the Sisters facility.
"We have a full digital X-ray here, which is nice," said Dr. Greer. "The usual kind of diagnostic technology you would find in Bend or Redmond are available here. It's here for the community. It's open for films for chiropractors and other physicians, or for Bend physicians where their patients live in Sisters."
Procedures - from minor fractures to treating laceration to vasectomies - can be handled on-site.
Nobody is turned away.
"We try to keep our schedules so that we can provide same-day access," Dr. Greer said.
The operative principal for St. Charles Family Care is that patients should receive the majority of their care from their primary doctor. The patient should have a "medical home," where their needs and conditions are known and treatment can be given and monitored so that problems are headed off before they become acute.
The focus in the clinic reflects a national trend toward early intervention and wellness with the goal of improving health and thus reducing the costs associated with expensive emergency-room or urgent-care visits and hospital stays.
"People really need continuity of care," Dr. Greer said. "We pay attention to the whole patient, not just what they're there for at that time."
Dr. Greer notes that St. Charles Family Care is one of two Central Oregon sites for the Comprehensive Medicare Initiative, designed to pinpoint the most high-risk patients and provide treatment that can keep them out of the hospital.
The new facility offers the opportunity to bring more specialists out to Sisters. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tim Bollom will be available at times to evaluate patients and do post-surgery follow-up. Cardiologists will be available.
"In time we're hoping to be able to bring echo-cardiology out here on a limited basis as well," Dr. Greer said.
The building is electrically wired to accommodate mobile services such as mammography.
It's all part of an effort to provide a wide range of sophisticated services to patients right here in Sisters.
"It's kind of like a farmer's market, you know," Greer mused. "A community resource."
Call 541-549-1318 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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