Bogged down by administrative tasks and maintaining the EHR, Amaus, a free medical clinic in Syracuse, N.Y., recently shuttered, according to a Nov. 19 Syracuse.com report.
Founded in 2007, the volunteer-based clinic served uninsured and homeless patients and was sponsored by the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Lynn-Beth Satterly, MD, operated the clinic under her medical license.
Dr. Satterly, who also serves as associate director and practice professor at LeMoyne College's physician assistant studies program, said she chose to step down from Amaus because the clinic was becoming "increasingly complicated to run," according to the report. She said she was spending more time managing Amaus' EHR system than actually seeing patients, she told the publication.
The clinic saw an estimated 400 patients each year after the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2014. Prior to the law, as many as 1,500 patients visited the clinic annually, according to the report.
In lieu of Amaus' closure, former patients can access medical care at Poverello Health Center or Rahma Health Clinic, two other free clinics in Syracuse.