What Is a Multispecialty Health Center? A More Connected Way to Care for the Whole Family

A patient may visit a primary care clinician for high blood pressure, see a cardiologist for a heart concern, need physical therapy after an injury, and want help managing the stress that comes with illness. Each service has a different purpose, but the patient is one person. Their care works best when the people involved understand the full picture.

That is the idea behind a multispecialty health center: several kinds of outpatient care brought together with a shared commitment to communication, follow-up, and the patient’s goals. A center may offer primary care, specialty visits, rehabilitation, and behavioral health in one location. The exact services vary by facility, staffing, approvals, and schedule.

Marton Care Health Center is preparing to bring this model to 12 Fairview Place in Brooklyn. Our long-term ambition is to serve patients of all ages, work with as many insurance plans as possible, and expand to the full range of outpatient services we are permitted and equipped to provide under applicable law. Those are goals for the center’s development. They do not mean every age group, specialty, or health plan will be available on opening day. We will announce services, age ranges, participating plans, and appointment availability as each is ready.

Marton Care Health Center

What makes a health center “multispecialty”?

A multispecialty center offers access to clinicians with different areas of expertise. A patient may need only one of them; another patient may need several over time.

The value is more than having multiple office doors in the same building. A useful care model helps answer questions such as:

Who will look at a test result and explain it to the patient?

Will the primary care clinician know what a specialist recommended?

Who will review medications prescribed by different clinicians?

What happens when a patient needs therapy, counseling, or another referral?

Who should the patient contact if a symptom changes between visits?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services describes care coordination as organizing a person’s care across multiple providers. Better communication can help patients and clinicians make decisions using the same information.

CMS on care coordination:

Having several services in one location can make coordination easier, but it does not happen automatically. Clinicians still need appropriate records, clear responsibilities, timely follow-up, and the patient’s participation.

Primary care: a place to start and a place to return

Primary care covers a wide range of everyday and ongoing health needs. Depending on the patient and the clinician, a visit may involve prevention, screening, a new symptom, medication review, or management of a condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure. A primary care clinician can also help determine when a specialist is needed and make sense of recommendations from other parts of the health system.

CMS on primary care:

Consider a patient who has recently been discharged from the hospital. A follow-up visit may involve reviewing what happened, checking the discharge instructions, reconciling medications, discussing new symptoms, and deciding whether a specialist or rehabilitation service is appropriate. Good follow-up gives the patient a chance to ask: What do I need to do next, and who is responsible for each part?

Marton Care Health Center’s current services page describes planned primary care focused on adult and geriatric medicine, including preventive care, screenings, and chronic disease management. As we work toward serving all ages, we will announce any additional age-specific services when the appropriate clinicians and arrangements are in place.

Marton Care Health Center services:

Specialty care: a closer look at a particular need

A specialist brings focused training to a particular area of health. Specialty care may help when symptoms need further evaluation, a diagnosis requires ongoing management, or treatment calls for expertise beyond a general visit.

Marton Care Health Center currently lists the following planned specialties:

Service Examples of concerns it may address

Cardiology Heart health and cardiovascular conditions Pulmonology Breathing and lung conditions, including asthma and COPD Dermatology Skin concerns and medical skin care Podiatry Foot concerns, including diabetic foot care

The appropriate service and treatment for any patient depend on a clinical assessment. A listed specialty should not be taken as a promise that a particular clinician, test, or appointment is available immediately.

Published services:

Specialty care is most useful when the patient understands what happens afterward. At the end of a visit, it is reasonable to ask:

1. What did you find, and what remains uncertain?

2. Are you changing any medications or recommending a test?

3. When and how will I receive the result?

4. Will my primary care clinician receive your recommendations?

5. Which symptoms mean I should seek help sooner?

Physical therapy: turning a treatment plan into better function

An injury, surgery, stroke, or long period of illness can change how a person moves through daily life. Physical therapy may be part of a plan to improve strength, mobility, balance, or function, based on the patient’s condition and a therapist’s evaluation.

A therapy visit can involve more than exercises in a gym. A physical therapist may assess the movements that are difficult for the patient, establish goals, recommend a treatment plan, and track progress over time. Those goals could relate to walking, climbing stairs, returning to an activity, or moving more safely.

Marton Care Health Center describes a dedicated physical therapy suite and lists orthopedic rehabilitation, post-stroke recovery, and mobility training among its planned areas of focus. Availability, referral requirements, visit limits, and coverage will need to be confirmed for each patient and insurance plan when scheduling opens.

Facility and service information:

Mental and behavioral health: part of the whole picture

Medical conditions can affect emotional well-being. Stress or a mental health condition can also make it harder to sleep, keep appointments, or follow a treatment plan. Patients deserve a setting where those concerns can be raised and addressed without treating them as separate from the rest of their health.

Marton Care Health Center lists outpatient therapy and counseling among its planned mental and behavioral health services. The specific types of care, clinicians, age groups served, and appointment options will be confirmed as the service develops.

Marton Care Health Center services:

Connecting behavioral health with primary and other medical care can be valuable when it fits a patient’s needs and preferences. It also requires attention to privacy, consent, and appropriate communication. CMS describes behavioral health integration as incorporating behavioral health care with other care, including primary care.

CMS behavioral health integration guide:

What could care under one roof look like?

Imagine a patient who comes in because walking has become difficult. A clinician may first look for a medical reason, review the patient’s history and medications, and decide whether specialty evaluation or physical therapy would help. If the patient is also struggling emotionally after losing independence, a behavioral health conversation may be appropriate.

Or consider a patient managing diabetes. They may need routine medical follow-up and, at another point, an evaluation for a foot concern. Coordinated care means the recommendations from each visit can inform the next decision.

These are examples of how a multispecialty model can work, not a description of services already scheduled for any particular patient. Some needs can be addressed in the center. Others may require a hospital, an outside specialist, or another type of facility. Good coordination includes making an appropriate referral when care is needed elsewhere.

A center intended for patients of all ages

Health needs change throughout life. Children, adults, and older adults may need different clinicians, equipment, visit types, and follow-up. Marton Care Health Center’s aspiration is to build a center that can serve all age groups as its services grow.

Our initial public service descriptions emphasize adult and geriatric primary care. We do not want a family to assume that pediatric or another age-specific service is already available simply because serving all ages is our goal. As we add qualified clinicians and establish each service, we will state clearly which ages can be seen for which appointments. Patients and families should confirm that information before scheduling.

Current service descriptions:

An ambition to work with all plans

The insurance card a patient carries should not be an afterthought in planning accessible care. Marton Care Health Center intends to seek participation across Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and commercial insurance plans, including relevant managed care products. Our ambition is to work with all plans willing and able to contract with the center.

Plan participation takes individual contracts and operational preparation. A center can be approved to operate and still be in the process of joining a particular insurer’s network. Coverage may also depend on the specific plan product and clinician, not just the insurer’s name. For that reason, we will publish and confirm participating plans as contracts become effective. Patients should verify network status and any referral, authorization, or cost-sharing requirements with the center and their plan before a visit.

We also want to hear from health plans interested in contracting. Health plans can contact healthcenter@martoncare.com.

Room to grow as community needs become clear

A community’s needs cannot be reduced to a fixed opening-day service list. Marton Care Health Center intends to keep evaluating what patients in Flatbush and Central Brooklyn need and to expand its outpatient offerings where possible.

Our goal is to provide all types of services that are appropriate for the community and permitted under applicable law, as the center obtains any necessary approvals, recruits qualified professionals, equips the facility, and establishes workable coverage and operations. That may mean adding specialties or visit types over time. It does not mean that every service legally possible at an Article 28 center is currently approved, staffed, or available at Marton Care.

The center calls this approach community-responsive care: adapting and adding specialties as needs are identified. We welcome input from patients, clinicians, community organizations, and health plans about gaps in local outpatient care.

Community-responsive care and other services:

Questions to ask when choosing a multispecialty center

Whether you are considering Marton Care Health Center or another facility, these questions can help you decide if it meets your needs:

Do you see patients in my age group for this service?

Is the clinician I need accepting appointments?

Does that clinician participate in my exact insurance plan?

Will I need a referral or prior authorization?

What records should I bring from my other doctors or a recent hospital stay?

Who will contact me about test results?

How will my clinicians share recommendations?

If the center cannot provide a service, can it help direct me to the right place?

A patient should leave an appointment knowing the next step, when to expect it, and whom to contact with a question.

Marton Care Health Center’s vision for Brooklyn

Marton Care Health Center is a New York State Article 28 diagnostic and treatment center preparing to open at 12 Fairview Place, Brooklyn, NY 11226. Its published plans include primary care, cardiology, pulmonology, dermatology, podiatry, physical therapy, and outpatient mental and behavioral health care. The facility describes six exam rooms, a physical therapy suite, and private consultation rooms.

Center information:

We are building toward a broad goal: care for patients of all ages, participation with every health plan we can contract with, and a growing range of legally permitted outpatient services that our community needs. We will announce the opening date and confirm each available service, eligible age group, and participating plan as arrangements are completed.

For questions, community input, employment opportunities, or health plan contracting inquiries, visit or email healthcenter@martoncare.com.