BALLARD FAMILY MEDICINE

Clinic Site Director: Mark Johnson mark.johnson3@swedish.org

Location: Located at the Swedish Hospital Campus in downtown Ballard

Population: Ballard has historically been the center of Seattle’s large Scandinavian seafaring community, and the patient population is socio-economically diverse. SFM-Ballard was designed to meet the unique challenges in this community with a large percentage of self-employed, unemployed, or small business owners who cannot afford private insurance but who are also not eligible for Medicaid. SFM-Ballard also serves Ballard's homeless population, which continues to grow year after year. Between 5-10% of SFM-Ballard patients participate in a unique monthly self-pay program, 50% of patients are on Medicaid, and 10% are on Medicare.

Staff: 6 Residents (two per year). 4 core faculty to create a close-knit, consistent precepting team. Medical team: 2 front desk staff, 1 clinic manager, 2 medical assistants, 2 nurses, 1 nurse practitioner, and 2 behavioral health doctoral students. The office space is designed to maximize collaboration in complex patient care and chronic disease management. 

Payment Model: Patients enrolled in the self-pay program as well as some insurance companies pay a flat monthly fee for all primary care services offered within the clinic including point-of-care labs, ultrasound, behavioral health, and telephone visits. This payment model allows for an innovative care delivery system focused on improving clinical outcomes rather than increasing patient volumes.

Specialty Clinics: Psychiatry co-visits, free behavioral health counseling provided by graduate psychology interns. High procedure volume integrated into clinic day including colposcopy, arthrocentesis, joint and soft tissue injections, IUD/Nexplanon insertion, skin excision/biopsy/I&D, nail removal, paracentesis, LPs, circumcision, hemorrhoid banding.

Features: In office labs including U/A, lipid panel, blood glucose, HgbA1c, Hct, Urine tox screening. EKG, NST, Ultrasound.

Racial Demographics of Patients

  • 69% white

  • 7% Black

  • 12.5% Asian

  • 8.5% other

  • 3% unknown to patient

Other Clinic Highlights

  • Current partnership with the Ballard Food Bank and expanding to include other community partners like local food kitchens, the public library, and a network of providers focusing on homeless patient care in Ballard

  • Strong training in mental health, substance use disorders

  • Continued Swedish Pilot Project for Medical Home Model with unique payment model allowing for scheduled phone visits, home visits, active management of chronic disease through registries

  • Diabetes group visits

  • 60 minutes new patient visits, 30 minute follow-up visits

  • Small, tight-knit clinic family with frequent opportunities for potlucks, birthday celebrations, and costume coordination