The Health Project works collaboratively to assist low-income patients in need of financial help to ensure access to health care. By working collaboratively across the provider delivery system and integrating community health resources, the Health Project is able to help patients navigate the health system and secure financial assistance. The collaborative tasks for Patient Assistance include;
1. Create a single internal database to identify patients needing financial assistance
2. Create single enrollment form for use across provider delivery system
3. Enhance the enrollment process and build health worker capacity
4. Train for home visit assistance
5. Integrate with other support services, like Food stamps and the Lion’s Club vision
6. Screen for pharmaceutical assistance to reduce hospital readmissions
7. Create IT link to Health Project to enable provider referral to MCHP
8. Track measurable reduction to bad debt
9. Identify the appropriate financial assistance for uninsured and under insured patients
10. Increased Medicaid enrollment
As a result of this collaborative effort of Patient Assistance, the Health Project has tracked significant outcomes that have benefited the community. these include;
1. In the first two months, $256,649 was recovered from patient accounts that were bad debt, but
eligible for other payer sources (Medicaid and SCHIP), reducing the financial burdens to patients.
2. Assisted over 1,500 patients in the first year with: comprehensive financial assistance; pharmaceutical assistance; community safety net assistance; and Food Stamp assistance.
3. Decreased the Primary Care Network bad debt by 44% in first year, while Increasing financial assistance by 270%.
4. Coordinated the Lion’s Club vision assistance to 261 people.
5. Provided pharmaceutical assistance to 1,123 people with 1,953 prescriptions valued at $1.7 million.
6. Assisted Diabetes self-management help to 700 people and purchased Diabetic medications valued at $16,428
7. The total number of Patient Assistance cases referred to Health Project in first year amounted to 1,531, with dollars referred amounting to $981,837.
|
