MGMA Better Performers: How Women’s Care of Oregon adapted with agility

In 1988, Women’s Medical Services, Oakway OB/GYN and Kaplan & Herz came together to form Women’s Care, Lane County Oregon’s longest-operating independent physician group specializing in women’s health. In 1991, the practice opened a clinic in Eugene, which included a lab for on-site testing and provided imaging services. Later, in 2007, a clinic in Springfield opened. In addition, Women’s Care has a fertility center in Eugene and a center for genetics and maternal-fetal medicine in Springfield. 

According to Josie Van Scholten, MBA, chief executive officer, the physician-owned practice has 17 partner-owners; 27 providers, including four midwives and three nurse practitioners (NPs); and 140 staff across the four locations. Among the services Women’s Care offers are continence and pelvic support, annual exams, gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatal-perinatal medicine, obstetrics, reproductive endocrinology, as well several classes, including childbirth, breastfeeding and newborn baby care.

“We’re a mid-sized company … we really try to leverage the best of both worlds as far as being big enough to offer that wide range of services for our patients,” Van Scholten expressed. “But we’re small enough, especially within our various clinics, that we can take the team approach and the physician assistant scheduler team can quickly respond to patient needs and adjust their practices as they need to.” 

The majority of patients are 18 to 39 years old (60%) and 40 to 64 (31%), with the remainder 65 and older (8%) and 17 and under (1%). The payer mix is 55% commercial, 38% Medicaid, 5% Medicare and 2% self-pay.

The practice has also partnered with eight other specialties to form Northwest Health Partners, a clinically integrated network (CIN). The network shares an EHR, IT and most contracting, which, according to Van Scholten, helps the practice to gain efficiencies for functions “that can be really expensive and burdensome to maintain.”