Bluebird Youngsters Well being, a pediatric well being care firm, is opening two clinics this summer time in Jacksonville.
It’s going to open an workplace July 2 at 6855 Wilson Blvd., Suite 2, in West Jacksonville, and one in September at 5000-3 Norwood Ave. in Brentwood.
The corporate relies in Palm Seashore and has plans to increase into Broward County.
Bluebird places are normally in purchasing facilities anchored by grocery shops, primarily based on the idea that folks are extra apt to be uncovered to the places of work the place they continuously store.
Bluebird Youngsters Well being CEO Chris Johnson.
“The genesis of Bluebird Youngsters Well being was creating a fantastic medical mannequin that integrates bodily care, psychological care and social care all in your pediatrician’s workplace after which is ready to find clinics in areas which might be very easy to be accessed,” Bluebird Youngsters Well being CEO Chris Johnson stated.
It prices about $1 million to open a facility.
In March, Bluebird introduced it raised $31.5 million in capital for enlargement and advancing technical capabilities.
The businesses investing in Bluebird are F-Prime Capital of Cambridge, Massachusetts, .406 Ventures of Boston, AIF of New York Metropolis and founding associate Juxtapose of New York Metropolis.
“We’re additionally constructing lots of know-how that helps making it straightforward for sufferers and households to entry our care. That’s simplifying the power to e book appointments and simplifying having the ability to get in contact with us in case you want triage providers,” Johnson stated.
There are three places in Palm Seashore County and one in Broward County.
Growth plans will take the model all through Florida after which into the Southeast, Johnson stated.
The Jacksonville clinics are taking new sufferers at bluebirdkids.com.
Bluebird clinics have prolonged hours on weeknights and there may be 24/7 phone or videoconferencing entry on weekends.
A sick baby can usually be seen that day or the next.
The ready room of a Bluebird Youngsters Well being clinic.
Final 12 months, Bluebird merged with Palm Seashore Pediatrics, a 40-year-old follow.
Earlier than forming Bluebird, Johnson was with Landmark Well being, an organization that offered in-home major look after seniors. After the corporate merged with Optum, a part of the UnitedHealth Group, he modified affected person focus to kids.
“Throughout the nation in nearly each metro space, there are huge pediatric major care deserts, there are shortages of pediatricians,” Johnson stated .
“And never solely that, however oftentimes in decrease earnings communities, decrease earnings neighborhoods, there’s dramatically fewer pediatricians than there are within the larger earnings areas in these communities. I’d say because of that, these kids should not seeing a pediatrician.”
The corporate treats newborns to 18-year-olds. It takes most insurance coverage in addition to Medicaid.
“Over half the youngsters within the U.S. are coated by Medicaid. It’s the first payer of kids’s well being care within the U.S. versus industrial insurance coverage,” Johnson stated.
As a result of Medicaid normally pays much less for pediatric providers than non-public insurance coverage does, some practices restrict the variety of Medicaid sufferers it accepts, he stated.
Bluebird Youngsters Well being acts as a toddler’s major care doctor.
It isn’t an pressing care facility. It establishes a relationship with a health care provider’s workplace whereby employees can monitor a toddler’s improvement and detect issues like bronchial asthma and diabetes at its earliest phases. A toddler’s eyesight and listening to may be examined there.
The corporate is speaking with space hospitals to kind partnerships to offer pressing and emergency care, imaging and testing for its sufferers.
It goals to be a inexpensive different for households who wouldn’t have entry to an everyday pediatrician.
“Rising entry, bettering high quality metrics which might be necessary, reduces the quantity of care that’s occurring in hospital emergency departments and even typically hospital inpatient care that’s actually avoidable if they’ve entry to a top quality pediatrician,” Johnson stated.
“By seeing a pediatrician versus being in an emergency division the precise medical outcomes are higher, and it’s at a decrease value.”
The clinics monitor a toddler’s bodily and psychological improvement. Although there are not any nutritionists on employees, they provide dietary and life-style recommendation to deal with childhood weight problems.