OFFICIALS HOPING CLINIC EASES ER OVERCROWDING.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Hospital officials hope to create on the hospital grounds a federally funded primary care clinic that would help ease emergency room crowding. A so-called Federally Qualified Health Clinic would provide more access to medical care for poor people and people without health insurance while at the same time getting the hospital higher payments from Medicare and Medi-Cal. ``One of the programs that President Bush has endorsed is the Federally Qualified Health Clinic for meeting needs of the underserved, the Medi-Cal, and uninsured populations. For many of these patients, their only source of seeing a doctor is coming to the emergency room,'' said Leon Choiniere, vice president of finance. ``In response to emergency room overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. , given what's happening at the federal level, it makes sense to get one of these clinics organized.'' The hospital board last week authorized administrators to spend up to $55,500 to find a consultant to help set up the clinic. ``It would be a federally funded clinic to serve the underinsured un·der·in·sure tr.v. un·der·in·sured, un·der·in·sur·ing, un·der·in·sures To insure under a policy that provides inadequate benefits: Be certain that you are not underinsured against catastrophic illness. . We are hoping some of that would help us as far as relieving emergency room crowding,'' hospital director June Snow said. The clinic, which could open in a year in one of the hospital's existing buildings, would offer outpatient prenatal care prenatal care, n the health care provided the mother and fetus before childbirth. , pediatrics and mental health care. After running the clinic for two years or three years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time hospital could qualify for further benefits, such as a student-loan forgiveness program that could help recruit physicians and federal protection from malpractice lawsuits, a hospital staff report said. While starting with one clinic on the hospital campus, other clinics could be set up elsewhere as the program develops, the report said. In order to be eligible for federal designation and enhanced Medi-Cal and Medicare reimbursement Reimbursement Payment made to someone for out-of-pocket expenses has incurred. , a hospital-based Federally Qualified Health Clinic operated by a public agency such as the hospital district must be jointly governed by the district board and a separate community-based nine-member board appointed by the district, the report said. The hospital already operates three outpatient clinics in Palmdale, Littlerock and Lake Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. in a partnership with Los Angeles County. Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com |
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