Heartland Alliance adds an efficient, effective "medical home" in Lincoln Square.

Heartland Health Center–Lincoln Square might not be what you would expect at a clinic designed to offer services regardless of the patients' ability to pay. The busy waiting room is stylish, the operations are efficient and data-driven, and the mix of patients is diverse. "We're seeing more uninsured patients who lost their jobs, people who are highly educated, people who can't afford insurance," says Kimberly Tester, the external relations manager at Heartland International Health Center (HIHC), which operates the site.

The Lincoln Square site serves the Albany Park community, where more than a third of the local population is designated by the city as "medically needy" and about 40 percent of the residents are foreign born.

"I'd rate the medical attention there right up with the best at any private care I've received," says Lee Zarhov, a patient at Lincoln Square. When Zarhov had triplebypass heart surgery in 2001, his employer's insurance paid for the operation. But he's been a patient with HIHC since being laid off six years ago, and regularly visits the community health center for check-up appointments and his heart medication. "I don't ever want to lose them," he says of the care.

Heartland Alliance's community health centers work because they provide a "medical home," where patients come for regular visits, are known by their doctor, and have access to a wide array of services. With state-of-the-art electronic medical records, staff at the community health centers can reach out to remind patients about regular check-ups and monitor how well the center is serving its patients.