The Chautauqua Center CEO Mike Pease discusses how a proposed state carve out of 340b funds could affect local health care centers in the millions of dollars.

TCC CEO Mike Pease said through the 340b program, TCC has the ability to offer prescriptions at a greatly reduced price for patients, “And the second thing is, it offers another form of income for organizations like us as well as other health centers, hospitals systems, Ryan White clinics, most of us participate in this program. And we reinvest those dollars into programs like care coordination, case management, transportation, translation services – things we don’t traditionally get reimbursed for.”

Pease said while this is a federal program, former Governor Andrew Cuomo‘s 2021 budget introduce a measure to “carve out” the savings healthcare facilities receive and directed it back into the state coffers. That measure was put on hold due to the Pandemic, but is now part of Governor Kathy Hochul‘s budget and is set to go into effect April 1.

Pease said if this goes forward, it means a loss of over $2 million for TCC. According to a report by Buffalo Business First, Buffalo-based Evergreen Health could see $13 million in annual losses to its $117 million budget due to the changes. Business First reports that the change is expected to usher in a $250 million funding loss statewide, and hospitals across New York are predicting losses of $240 million. Pease said this also would affect UPMC Chautauqua and Brooks Memorial Hospital who have their own pharmacy programs.

Pease said TCC is part of the Save New York’s Safety Net Coalition, which has come up with an alternative proposal for the State Legislature, “On how we could continue to get the benefit of the program as health centers but also we would ensure that the program’s guidelines are being met from the standpoint of reinvesting those dollars into programs that are supportive, things like that. So, there is a way that this could benefit both the state, the community – which is the most important, as well as us as providers of those services.”

Pease added that both State Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell have been supportive of the continuance 340b program.

The Chautauqua Center

This is the latest acquisition by TCC following Chautauqua Physical and Occupational Therapy merging with the federally-qualified health center in September 2022.

TCC CEO Michael Pease said in a statement, “We are confident that this merger will result in the long-term sustainability of Tri-County Family Medicine. We commit to providing the highest quality of care to existing and new patients, with no lapses in services.”

Tri-County Family Medicine co-founder Dr. James Wild said, “We strongly believe that this acquisition will bring great benefit to our patients and the community as a whole, as we continue to deliver efficient, effective, accessible, and affordable healthcare.”

TCC officials expect the merger to be completed soon and said patients should not experience any disruption in service.

Tri-County Family Medicine continues to accept new patients. For more information, call (716) 241-7067 or visit www.tri-countyfamilymedicine.com.

Chautauqua Physical and Occupational Therapy

The Chautauqua Center President Mike Pease said the merger will keep business as usual for the organizations, “They’re going to remain in their locations that they’re currently in. They’ll still serve the community the way they’ve been serving the community and they’ll just become part of The Chautauqua Center as another service line.”

Pease said Chautauqua Physical and Occupational Therapy, which is currently privately owned, will benefit from the merger in a couple ways, including medicaid reimbursements given that TCC is a federally qualified health care center, “As a health center, Chautauqua Center enjoys an enhanced reimbursement for those folks, so that will help the business side of Chautauqua PT/TCC. But on the employee side, because they were a private practice that is a for-profit organization, their staff weren’t necessarily eligible for things like the public service loan forgiveness program. So, this will open the door to those folks being able to apply for that.”

Pease said he hopes that with the enhanced medicaid reimbursement that both agencies will be to reach more vulnerable populations in the area. He said owners Pat and Susan Green will continue running the programs at their facilities with CP-OT staff staying on board.

Pease said the timeline for the merger to go forward is pending the state’s approval of TCC’s certificate of need that’s been submitted. He said once that’s granted, it’ll be about 60 days for everything to be completed.

The Chautauqua Center Staff Cut Ribbon on Waterfront Pharmacy

The Chautauqua Center cut the ribbon on the Waterfront Pharmacy and opened the location to the general public Wednesday.

Chautauqua Center CEO Michael Pease said the pharmacy participates in a Federal program called “340-B,” “It allows us to offer greatly discounted prices on medications to our patients. We’ve been doing this through a contract pharmacy for a small, short period of time, but being able to have our own pharmacy open allows us to fill same day scripts and some other things we haven’t historically been able to do so it’s a big deal for our patients.”

Pease said the grand opening of the pharmacy at 107 Institute Street follows three years of planning. He said TCC plans to duplicate these same amenities in Dunkirk with the construction of the new facility there at 75 East 3rd Street.

To contact the pharmacy call (716) 483-4334 ext. 1333, or visit www.tcchealth.org for more information.

The Chautauqua Center

Existing patients and new patients who schedule a clinical breast exam with their TCC doctor and are issued a prescription for a mammogram will be eligible to have the imaging done on three event dates:
– November 4th at UPMC Chautauqua Radiology Department in Jamestown
– November 5th at the Windsong Mobile Unit at the National Comedy Center
– November 8th at Brooks-TLC Hospital System in Dunkirk

TCC CEO Michael Pease said the length of time people have to wait for an appointment can hold them back and that they wanted to “make it easy as possible for our patients to get a mammogram.”

Women 16 years of age and over are encouraged to get an annual clinical breast exam. People of all genders over the age of 40 should get an annual clinical breast exam and mammogram, if necessary.

For more information, contact The Chautauqua Center at (716) 484-4334.

According to a media release from Congressman Tom Reed’s Office, the grant funding provides critical financial assistance to health care providers in under-served areas.

“We care about making sure our constituents have fair access to the quality medical care they need, especially in our current situation,” said Reed. “We were proud to support this funding and we will continue to fight for the support and resources our region needs to maintain our health care system.”

“The news that we have been funded for another three years allows The Chautauqua Center to continue its mission to deliver comprehensive high quality patient-centered health and support services in the Chautauqua region and the surrounding areas,” said Chautauqua Center CEO Michael C. Pease. “Now more than ever, health centers across the nation are serving as critical front line providers during the pandemic. We appreciate the leadership of congressman Reed and other elected officials who have supported us in the past and continue to do so now. Without this support we would not be able to provide the fully integrated care we do including primary care, women’s health, behavioral health, oral health, chiropractic services, pharmacy and a number of support services. Through the vision of our community board of directors we have grown to over 120 staff members serving more than 13,000 people since we were first awarded in 2012.”

“This funding allows us to continue the care we provide for the community, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status,” said Southern Tier Community Health Network CEO George Barton. “We’re certainly blessed to be a recipient off the funds. We serve over 10,000 people a year and this funding is critically important to address the needs of the community not only medically, but also through dental and mental health services.”

The Chautauqua Center has two locations in Chautauqua County, including the recently completed facility on Institute Street in Jamestown.

Southern Tier Community Health Network is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in Cattaraugus, Allegany and McKean (Pennsylvania) counties.