Glendale, Wis.-based Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare decided to add primary care services to its St. Joseph campus in Milwaukee in an effort to reduce misuse of the emergency department for primary care, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Five primary care physicians and three physician assistants now practice at Wheaton Franciscan-St. Joseph. The hospital plans to hire three more primary care physicians and two nurse practitioners or physician assistants this year, according to the report.
Previous efforts to get St. Joseph ER patients to see primary care physicians have been marginally successful. The hospital added a three-person team in the ER, which included a nurse, social worker and care coordinator, to help connect individual patients with a primary care physician.
The team connected 2,500 patients to physicians between January and November last year. However, despite nurses following up before and after appointments, many patients didn't show.
The St. Joseph clinic will give patients access to physicians on a campus in their own neighborhood.