Capsules

Mayo Announces $3.5 Billion Rochester Expansion

Less than a month after threatening to invest elsewhere pending favorable legislative action, the Mayo Clinic released its plans to move forward with its in-state plans. As part of its “Bold. Forward.” strategic plan to transform health care over the next decade, Mayo Clinic announced major campus enhancement projects at Mayo Clinic Health System locations in Rochester, La Crosse and Mankato. Facilities enhancements will also occur at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. A new six story 70-bed hospital is slated for Lacrosse and Mankato will receive a three-story 121-bed expansion of the existing facility. “The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged and impacted all in so many ways, but it also has enabled advances in how we best deliver care,” says Gianrico Farrugia, MD, Mayo Clinic president and CEO. “Together with our digital strategy, we are purposefully upgrading physical spaces and integrating technology in ways that better enable our staff to focus on what matters most. People come to Mayo Clinic from all over the world for the care only we can provide, and we are committed to expanding and creating inspired spaces that deliver on our promise of hope and healing.” Plans for a major investment in Rochester were developed through a project the Mayo called Destination Medical Center and now are underway with $3.5 billion earmarked to the efforts. Construction should start within a year that will redesign and streamline the sprawling layout of Mayo’s parking, clinic and hospital facilities. The project will also modernize the campus for new medical technologies. “We want to improve the way patients experience Mayo Clinic,” said Dr. Craig Daniels, the physician lead for the expansion. “We recognize that arriving in Rochester to our campus can occasionally feel a bit disjointed — with a number of different buildings, a number of different arrival points, a number of different places to park and enter and exit.” The project will reshape the skyline of Minnesota’s third-largest city and bring more jobs and families to Rochester. The new buildings will create horizontal connectivity across the downtown campus.

TCO Expands to Include Rheumatology Care

Twin Cities Orthopedics (TCO) recently announced it is expanding its services to include rheumatology care. The new specialty service will launch this summer with the addition of 10 rheumatologists. Bringing a wide range of experience across one of the most challenging specialties, these physicians will provide a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the TCO team. “This team of physicians has an excellent reputation in the market, and we are confident this new service will help take the care we deliver to patients to the next level,” said TCO President Dr. Owen O’Neill. “By being a part of an independent model, the rheumatologists and their care teams now have greater flexibility and control over their practice, allowing them to focus on delivering personalized, value-based care that meets the unique needs of each patient.” Patients can now book physician appointments at TCO’s Eagan, Hudson, Stillwater and Woodbury locations. Physician start dates will vary throughout the summer. With the addition of rheumatology as a specialty service, TCO will be able to provide a more comprehensive approach to treating musculoskeletal conditions. “Rheumatology and orthopedics have a natural synergy,” said TCO Chief Operating Officer Janet Benton. “We’re excited to provide patients with a multidisciplinary team of specialists who will work together to develop personalized treatment plans that address their unique needs. This collaborative approach not only leads to better outcomes, but also a better patient experience.” As one of the country’s largest independent orthopedic practices, TCO is committed to improving patient outcomes and the overall patient experience through innovative treatments and services. The addition of rheumatology to its specialty services is a significant step in this direction. With a reputation for excellence and a patient-first approach, TCO is proud to serve the community and looks forward to the exciting opportunities ahead.

HealthPartners Breaks Ground on New Apple Valley Clinic

HealthPartners broke ground on a new medical and dental clinic location in Apple Valley on Thursday, June 15, less than three miles east of the clinic’s current location. The new facility will provide additional care services, including allergy, eye care, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), mammography and ophthalmology. It will improve the care coordination experience for patients by providing several services in one location. “We’ve proudly served the Apple Valley community for more than 40 years and are excited to expand our offerings to better meet the changing health care needs of our patients,” said Leslie Dockan, vice president of primary care at HealthPartners. “Our new space will allow us to offer even more services under one roof and provide our patients with high-quality, affordable care.” The new two-story Apple Valley facility at 15350 English Avenue will be 56,776 square feet almost twice the size of its current space. There will be 382 parking spaces. The additional space will feature several improvements and increase capacity to care for more patients and provide more services including family medicine, pediatrics, radiology, cardiology, lab, urgent care, OB-GYN and dental. The $29 million project is expected to be complete by the summer of 2024. The new facility is the third built in the south metro as part of HealthPartners and Park Nicollet’s efforts to better serve the primary and specialty care needs of the community, including a new clinic in Lakeville and specialty center in Burnsville.

Minnesota Receives $208 Million Opioid Settlement

State Attorney General Keith Ellison recently announced Minnesota will receive another $208 million in opioid settlement money over the next 15 years as part of a $17 billion nationwide agreement with certain drug makers and pharmacies, This brings the Minnesota portion of the overall industry settlement to $568 million with the newest funds being released later this summer. Under a 2021 plan, Minnesota’s opioid settlement money will be divided with 75 percent going to cities and counties and 25 percent to the state. The money will be used for prevention, treatment and other harm-reduction efforts. Individual counties and some cities will receive funds ranging from $44,262 (Proctor City) to $39,358,605 (Hennepin County). Opioid-related overdoses and deaths have been on the rise for more than a decade, reaching an all-time high in Minnesota in 2021 when 978 people died. Fentanyl was involved in the majority of those deaths. Nonfatal opioid overdoses also spiked in 2021 with 4,349 emergency room visits. “No amount of money can ever make up for the death and destruction these companies caused in Minnesota,” Ellison said in a statement, adding that accountability was a priority to help communities that were impacted. In July 2021, the Attorney General’s Office joined historic $26 billion multistate settlement agreements with pharmaceutical distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen, and opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. These settlements will bring more than $300 million into Minnesota over the next 18 years to fight the opioid crisis. In December 2022, the Attorney General’s Office joined five additional multi-state settlements worth $20.4 billion with major opioid manufacturers Pharmaceuticals and Allergan and three of the nation’s largest retail pharmacy chains—Walmart, CVS, and Walgreen’s. Minnesota’s share of these settlements is around $235 million.

Allina Recognized for Environmental Sustainability

Allina Health was recently recognized by Practice Greenhealth with their System for Change Award. Practice Greenhealth (practicegreenhealth.org.) is a membership organization delivering environmental solutions to more than 1400 U.S. hospitals and health systems. Their award recognizes Allina Health’s ongoing commitment to improving its environmental performance, as well as and its efforts to build sustainability and resiliency into the operations and culture of its organization. In addition, the 2023 Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Award recognized all Allina hospital campuses with their Partner for Change Award. Allina’s sustainability initiatives span across many different areas, including waste reduction and recycling, energy efficiency, and purchasing and sustainable landscaping. “Sustainability is core to our healing mission and focus on Whole Person Care at Allina Health. We are honored to be recognized for our ongoing work to impact the health and safety of our environment and the wellbeing of our patients, staff, visitors and the communities we serve,” said Suzanne Savanick Hansen, manager, Allina Health Environmental Sustainability. “We have made great strides as a health care system and our commitment is unwavering as this work must continue.” Allina Health has pledged to join the Health Care Climate Challenge and has set the ambitious goals of 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. The health care system’s Rheaply platform has allowed employees to divert 13,500 pounds of supplies and furniture from the landfill or incinerator to be used in other locations. The program earned a U.S. Department of Energy 2023 Better Practice Award. “In a shifting health care landscape, a focus on sustainability can help build resilience while better protecting the health of patients and the community,” said Gary Cohen, Practice Greenhealth founder. “Allina Health demonstrates the kind of leadership, innovation and performance that can drive the entire health sector toward more environmentally responsible practices.”

Sanford Announces New Clinic Opening Date

Sanford Health recently announced that it is opening a new clinic in Horace, North Dakota, a Fargo/Moorhead suburb. The Horace Clinic will open this November, providing primary care services. The new 7000-square-foot facility cost $3 million and includes 10 exam rooms. It will open with 3 providers and will offer walk-in services. There is enough space to accommodate additional providers as the need grows in the community. It is the first medical clinic built in Horace, one of the fastest growing cities in North Dakota. “As the Fargo metro continues to grow, Sanford Health is prepared to continue investing in services to meet the future health care needs of our patients. We are excited to open our clinic in Horace,” said Kathryn Norby, Sanford Health executive director, primary care and behavioral health. “No matter where they live, we want people to have easy access to health care. The opening of this clinic is a testament to our commitment to provide our communities and the patients we serve with convenient and accessible health care.” Sanford has a long history of steadily growing its primary and specialty care services in North Dakota. Bringing health care close to home is something on which Sanford prides itself and the Sanford Horace Clinic is another example of continuing to invest in the communities it serves. In June 2019, the Sanford Veterans Square Clinic opened in Southwest Fargo, and in September 2019, the new Sanford West Fargo Clinic opened its doors with expanded space and services. Sanford Fargo features three hospitals, and the Sanford Horace Clinic will be the eighth Sanford clinic in the Fargo-Moorhead metro to offer primary care services.“The Horace population boom is very real, and being able to provide services close to home to those in living Horace and surrounding rural communities, such as Kindred and Walcott, will help save patients’ travel time for their health care,” said Andrew Larson, Sanford Health director, primary care. “We look forward to being a member of the Horace community and providing the world-class health care that we pride ourselves on.”

DHS Announces Web Site to Assist Insurance Renewals

The Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) recently announced that Minnesotans with Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare can now look up the month they can expect their health insurance renewal forms to arrive in the mail. People can look up their renewal month at mn.gov/dhs/renewmycoverage/.

To use the lookup, people must enter the case number printed on their notices or premium bills and the member number listed on their Minnesota Health Care Program card. If a person doesn’t know their case or member number, they can call their county or Tribal worker. When the forms arrive, it’s essential to complete and return them promptly with any necessary documentation. If people who are eligible don’t return the forms, they may lose their health insurance. Keeping health insurance makes it easier to get health care and avoids making health disparities worse “It’s so important for people to be ready to take action when their renewal forms arrive in the mail,” said Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “The renewal lookup lets them know when to watch their mail so they can do everything possible to keep their health insurance.” The timing of a person’s Medical Assistance renewal is based on the month they first got insurance. If someone became eligible in August 2019, their renewal month is August, and they can expect forms to arrive in the mail in June. People with MinnesotaCare can expect to receive their renewal forms by November. One in four Minnesotans has insurance through Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare. State, county and Tribal workers will be checking eligibility for 1.5 million people in monthly batches through May 2024.. DHS has implemented user-friendly ways to reach people about their renewals, including text messages reminding people to watch their mail and submit forms on time. Individuals can also complete the renewal process by submitting documents online or over the phone. More about renewals is available at https://mn.gov/dhs/renewmycoverage/