Jill Toliver, FNP and Gretchen Moen, PNP Owners, Nurse Practitioners Mendota Health, Eagan, MN

What population do you serve?

Our clinic serves a city and suburban area comprised mainly of typical adults with and without children. The nearby suburb has low=income/subsidized houseing within walking distance of the clinic. There are also two women-and-children shelters and a planned orphan community within five miles of the clinic. We plan to partner with these facilities to provide health services to them.

To assess this community, we hired a local consulting firm, McNamara and Associates, to help with research and idea development. They found the ideal geographical spot by conducting a population-based needs assessment. They plotted the competition, GYN, pediatric, and family clinics, on the map and saw where the clusters and growth patterns were. They also looked at growth patterns in the previous 5 years along with census projections for the next 5-10 years. The area where they decided to locate was rapidly growing, specifically with young families. They also found that no women and children's clinics were in this area.

They also conducted local focus groups comprised of women, and parents-a sampling of their target audience. They asked participants what comes to mind when they think of "health care"? Respondents felt that health care has become depersonalized and sterile. They said they wanted a clinic that serves as a resource to them and doesn't make them feel they (the patient) are a burden. They also asked participants what services they want and what hours of operation they'd like to see. Respondents wanted a.m. hours before 9 and a clinic they could visit over their lunch break or at the end of the day after work. If their children were sick they would like them to be seen that very day. Respondents were tired of having to visit the ER or Urgent Care. They also desired a friendly front desk person,prompt response and no auto-message service.

McNamara also found out that the target population loved NPs and found them to be providers who take time with their patients,listen and are not condescending.

What you pay for these kind of services sometimes depends on who you know. Typically you can expect to hire a firm for $100-$150 per hour and to pay focus group participants anywhere from $25-$50. You also want to give them food. I have conducted focus group discussions with professionals and that usually runs $100-$150 per member. The focus group should be at least 10 members.