IE medical clinic to get bigger

Riverside Medical Clinic, the largest private provider of ambulatory care in the Inland Empire, is expanding.

The company has partnered with Humana Inc. and will open two new primary care practices in Riverside County, said Ruthan Smith, vice president of marketing for Riverside Medical.

Both facilities are currently under construction – a 6,500-square-foot facility at 19314 Jesse Lane in Riverside and an 8,200-square-foot project at 33040 Antelope Road in Murrieta – and both are expected to begin accepting patients early next year, Smith said.

“This will fill in a hole in our coverage,” Smith said. “It’s an opportunity for us, because we don’t have a facility in the Menifee-Murrieta-Temecula market, and there’s definitely a need in that area.”

Both of those practices will specialize in elderly patients covered by Medicare or Medicaid, and both will operate under the Riverside Medical Clinic Senior Health Care Center brand.

Funding for the expansion will come from Riverside Medical and Humana. Exact cost of the expansion was not released.

“The partnership is making the expansion possible,” Smith said.

Riverside Medical Clinic currently operates five clinics, including four urgent care centers, in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Founded in 1935, the company employs more than 720 people, including 150 doctors in 32 specialty areas.

Humana, a leading health and well-being company, is based in Louisville. It has more than 1.2 million members that are cared for by an estimated 38,000 primary care physicians in 43 states and Puerto Rico, according to a statement.