Beebe launches Coordinated Care Center

Beebe Healthcare has opened a new location to help patients get critical follow-up care after a hospital stay.

The ribbon was cut Sept. 30 on the new Coordinated Care Center at 1305 Savannah Road in Lewes.

Dr. David Tam, Beebe president and CEO, said the center’s goal is to fill, what he called, a significant deficit in Sussex County.

“So many people are now coming to the ER, getting care, getting treated for new disorders, then not getting seen by a [primary care physician] right away. Many of them have never seen a primary care physician here. They’re not getting the follow-up care they need and then end up back in the emergency room,” Tam said.

Danielle Socrates, vice president of value-based care operations and transformation, said the center is the right care, at the right place, at the right time.

“The center [will lead] to lower costs for patients by avoiding unnecessary emergency department visits and hospital readmissions,” Socrates said.

Loretta Ostroski, vice president of continuum care, said patients will get an appointment before they leave the hospital. She said the coordination team will follow patients from 30 to 90 days before they are turned over to the chronic care management team.

“We have a care coordination team to assist in closing those gaps and helping patients navigate the healthcare system,” Ostroski said.

The center does not accept walk-in patients.

For more information on Beebe’s Coordinated Care Center, go to beebehealthcare.org.