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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2020)
BUSINESS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7 Eastern Oregon hospitals launch Summit Health By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Eastern Oregon hospitals are partnering to launch a new health insurance option. The newly formed Sum- mit Health will offer Medi- care plans to residents of Umatilla, Morrow, Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Har- ney, Lake, Malheur, Sher- man, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler counties. The plans will be available when open enrollment for Medicare begins on Oct. 15. Harry Geller, CEO of CHI St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton, said the hos- pitals involved have already had a unique and “very suc- cessful” partnership with each other and Moda Health in improving outcomes for Medic- aid patients through the Eastern Ore- gon Coordi- nated Care Organiza- Burke tion. “That mutual respect and collaboration is a fun- damental reason it has been so successful,” he said. “It’s a very refreshing working relationship.” Those same founders of Summit Health are St. Anthony, Good Shepherd Health Care System, Grande Ronde Hospital and Clin- ics, Saint Alphonsus Health System, GOBHI, Eastern Oregon IPA, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic and Moda. Geller said right now in Eastern Oregon there aren’t many senior citizens partic- ipating in Medicare Advan- tage plans, and Summit Health will be able to offer them more choices. He said the providers were excited and optimistic about the benefi ts to residents. “There’s a big gap in the market for this sort of plan,” he said. Medicare Advantage is an all-in-one type of Medi- care plan offered by private health insurance companies under a contract with Medi- care. Those plans bundle parts A, B and D of Medi- care coverage together and sometimes offer additional benefi ts, such as dental or vision that traditional Medi- care doesn’t cover. Dennis Burke, CEO of Good Shepherd Health Care System in Hermiston, said offering Medicare Advan- tage plans through Summit Health will offer area senior citizens more options, but it also gives greater fl exibility to the hospitals involved. By receiving a fl at, con- tracted rate from Medi- care instead of per-proce- dure reimbursement, Burke said they can use the money more creatively for preven- tative care and measures that can help improve outcomes for patients before they need an expensive treatment. One example he gave was the hospital’s CareVan pro- gram, which gives patients free rides to appointments to ensure they don’t end up canceling a doctor’s appointment or not seeking treatment in the fi rst place because they don’t have a ride. A missed appointment can mean a missed opportu- nity to catch a problem early, resulting in more expensive treatment later. Coordinated care organi- zations, such as Eastern Ore- gon Coordinated Care Orga- nization, were founded on a similar idea of reducing health care costs through pre- ventative care and overcom- ing barriers to care, such as limited transportation. Those organizations focus on Med- icaid patients, such as those on the Oregon Health Plan, but Burke said the EOCCO partners have learned a lot from that partnership that can be applied to the popula- tion using Medicare. “I think we’ve gained quite a lot of experience doing that,” he said. Sean Jessup, the presi- dent of Summit Health, said the insurance group is a part- nership of local providers with a track record of work- ing successfully together, that patients already know and trust. He said there has been “limited options” for for Medicare Advantage in Eastern Oregon in the past. “This product is for East- ern Oregon, and operated by Eastern Oregon providers,” he said. Open enrollment for Medicare begins Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7, 2020. Medi- care enrollees can visit your- summithealth.com or talk to their local insurance agent about plans offered by Sum- mit Health. Grants mean Maxwell Market can reopen Thursday By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR After a monthlong hia- tus, the Maxwell Market will reopen Thursday, Aug. 27, with the help of grants from the city of Hermiston and Umatilla County. Owner Mitch Myers said the market closed for a week at the end of July when temperatures in Hermiston were expected to reach 110 degrees, and then remained closed when Umatilla County was put back to baseline status in response to rising COVID- 19 numbers. “We had to make a deci- sion at that point,” he said. Unlike many farmer’s markets that are run as nonprofi ts by volunteers, the Maxwell Market is run as a subsidiary of Myers’ businesses. He said he has always run it as a bene- fi t to the community, and hasn’t turned a profi t on it, but revenue from ven- dors renting space does help him pay for the enter- tainment, staff and other expenses. This year, however, had brought less revenue as vendors have had to be spaced out more for social distancing and some have dropped out due to low turnout. On top of that, Myers said, it is harder for him to subsidize the mar- ket when his other busi- nesses, such as the Max- well Event Center and Nookie’s Restaurant, have HOME MAINTENANCE CENTER 541-567-7534 Blue Mountain 225 100% Douglas Fir $ Brown Bag Pellets per ton $ White Bags Fir-Pine Mix per ton 195 SALE ENDS 8/31/20 TN10 Wood Stove $ 1,099 • 10”/12” logs • 30,000 BTU ALL STOVES ARE 2020 CERTIFIED Staff photo by Ben Lonergan, File Fresh blueberries line a table at the Maxwell Market on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Staff photo by Ben Lonergan, File People stroll through the Maxwell Market in July. been closed and not bring- ing in any revenue. As he was deciding whether to reopen the mar- ket for the last six weeks of the season, he said, he reached out to Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock and Mark Morgan at the city of Hermiston, and both agreed to give the mar- ket a grant to cover some of Myers’ expenses and to cover all vendors’ fees for the rest of the season so they don’t have to pay to set up shop each week. Myers said the pri- vate-public partnership will benefi t more than just the vendors. “I think the market is good for the commu- nity,” he said. “I think it’s important for the vendors, and it’s important for peo- ple socially, to give them some sense of normalcy. I still believe the community needs some normalcy.” Myers said the market has stringent safety pro- tocols for COVID-19 in place. Vendors must wear masks, social distanc- ing measures are in place and surfaces are sanitized regularly. Starting Thursday, Aug. 27, the Maxwell Mar- ket will run from 4-7 p.m. each Thursday at the Max- well Pavilion on the corner of South First Street and Locust Avenue. MEDICAL DIRECTORY URGENT CARE MENTAL HEALTH HERMISTON FAMILY MEDICINE & LET US BE THE ONE THAT HELPS! URGENT CARE Family Care • Minor Injuries Sports Physicals • Minor Surgeries • Adult, Child & Family Therapy • Psychiatric Evaluation & Treatment • Mental Health & Crisis Services • Confidential & Professional Care FAMILY DENTISTRY COMPREHENSIVE CARE A Better Way to Oral Health We accept Medicare & some Advantage Medicare plans NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY 236 E. Newport, Hermiston (across from U.S. Bank) Hours: Mon-Sat 7:30am-7:00pm DENTURES BLUE MOUNTAIN DENTURE CENTER Affordable Care in Eastern Oregon since 1991 TROY STEWART Licensed Denturist UMATILLA, OR: 1300 6th St., Suite G BAKER CITY, OR: 2194 Court Ave. 541-519-4696 • 541-523-4752 CRISIS PHONE: 866-343-4473 HERMISTON: 595 NW 11th St. • 541-567-2536 PENDLETON: 331 SE 2nd St. • 541-276-6207 995 Orchard Ave., Hermiston, OR RYAN M. WIESELER, D.D.S, PC WWW.LIFEWAYS.ORG www.desertdentalsmiles.com To advertise in the Medical Directory, please call Jeanne PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY 541-564-4531 email: Call Today! 541-289-5433 1060 W. Elm, Suite #115, Hermiston (across from Good Shepherd Medical Center) www.apd4kidz.com Office hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm jjewett@hermistonherald.com Thank you for all you do! Over the years, all of us here at American West Properties, Hermiston, LLC and American West Properties in Boardman have come to rely on the professional expertise of our ad rep, Jeanne Jewett. Not only with our ads for the EO Real Estate Guide & the Hermiston Herald, but also with the special ads she offers throughout the year! From all of us here at American West Properties, thank you Jeanne! Gain Exposure. Drive More Business. Find New Customers. Marketing assistance from the print & digital experts. Talk to Jeanne today! 541-564-4531 • jjewett@hermistonherald.com
