Dedicated Health Center Procedures

Since its formation, the Berks Health Trust has worked to provide quality healthcare for its members and families while also responsibly controlling costs for both members and employers. To these ends, we are proud of our recent innovative partnership with St Luke’s that has led to the establishment of our two primary care Heath Centers over the past year. Primary care is very important in preventing and controlling chronic health conditions. In addition to controlling costs while providing high quality service, our top priority has been and will always be the safety and well-being of those in our care.

With that commitment in mind, the Trust has been encouraging its members to try the Health Centers for non-urgent care without pressure to transfer their primary care to the Center until they felt comfortable doing so. Over our first eight months of operation, we have continued to learn from our experience. We feel it is important to share with you a new procedure. This information will provide our members with a better understanding of how to best use the Health Centers in a way that will ensure that patient care and safety continue as our top priority.

• Trust members will continue to have the opportunity to try the dedicated Health Centers prior to determining if they want to designate the Health Center as their primary care provider.
• Following an appointment where a patient has not designated a primary care provider, the Health Center may direct the member to designate one.
• If the Health Center is not the primary care provider of choice, the patient may be told they are not entitled to use the dedicated Health Center until the patient chooses to make the Health Center their primary care provider.
• This decision will be made with patient safety and well-being in mind, and it will be communicated to the patient at the time of implementation.
• This procedure will go into effect on April 1, 2023.

It’s important to remember that receiving care from a single provider as the primary source of medical care:

• Increases patient safety
• Reduces the risk of medication error and duplication
• Results in complete diagnostic patient assessments
• Provides the Centers access to your complete medical and medication history

Just as our relationship with our members is crucial to our mission as a Trust, a patient’s relationship with their primary care provider is key towards seeing long term improvement in mental and physical health and wellness.

Thank you for your support in our ongoing efforts to provide you with the affordable, high-quality healthcare you deserve.

Berks County School Districts Health Trust Executive Committee

Dr. Paul Eaken, Executive Director