IDAHO FALLS – Through Community Family Clinic’s patient-first focus, clinicians are helping those in need regardless of economic status. The clinic operates with a sliding scale fee that enables people to pay less per month for medical care.
“We are working currently to have a foundation in our organization to help even those patients that don't necessarily qualify for the government programs or for other programs, but then we can turn around and help them,” said Dr. Joshua Stringham, the Chief Medical Officer and medical director for the clinic. “So there are limitations even to what we can do, but our limitations are much less compared to a normal clinic.”
Stringham says last year, they had the most patients ever at 14,000 people receiving care and he predicts they will surpass that number this year. The clinic practices what Stringham calls ‘birth to grave’, meaning they care for people from pediatric to elderly care.
Community Family Clinic is made up of a have a dentistry, a pharmacy and more. It’s the only kind of center in east Idaho that provides this level of work while using Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance through its nonprofit status to reduce payments or offer free services for those who may struggle financially. Another way they assist families financially is by reducing the amount people pay for expensive medicines.
“There's a diabetic medication that works very well and helps patients a lot,” Stringham said. “It's called Farxiga and it's a pill and it can be 800 to $900 a month if you don't have insurance and you're just paying cash pay. If you qualify for the sliding scale fee in our clinic, you can pay as low as $12 to $15 a month. So $900 versus $12 is pretty darn good. “And that's the best thing that I can do is offer those services and give them to people that really need them.”
The clinic also accepts tax deductible donations as a Federally Qualified Health Center. Dr. Stringham is also a member of the medical residency so if students need medical experience for graduate education, there are spots open for donations, volunteer work and more. For more information, visit Community Family Clinic.