Health Access: Lessons Learned

1
Health Access Lessons Learned

• HCAP New Grantee Orientation
• November 10, 2005
• Marcy Buren, MSW, CSW

2
Health Access Program Overview

• Initially funded in September 2001
• Received 4 years of HCAP funding
• Located in Flint, MI serving Genesee County
• Genesys Health System is our fiduciary
• Other funding sources include Ascension Health,
  United Way of Genesee County, First Presbyterian
  Church and Genesee Health Plan

3
Enrollment

• Main focus on adults 19-64 up to 175 of FPL
• 7,838 people have been enrolled by our staff in
  the county health plan and/or linked with a
  medical home
• We assisted 648 people in getting enrolled in
  Medicaid
• 626 children have been assisted in enrolling in
  Michigans SCHIP program

4
Care Management

• Assistance in applying for charity care
• Linking with providers/community resources for
  non-covered benefits
• Medical equipment/supplies
• Education- disease information, developing a
  relationship with PCP, appropriate use of ER,
  etc.
• 5,404 individuals have received Care Management
  services

5
Prescription Assistance

• Applying for prescription assistance programs
  through pharmaceutical companies
• Small fund to pay for temporary supply of some
  medications
• To date, we have assisted 2,640 people and
  submitted 4,929 applications to pharmaceutical
  companies
• Our clients have received free medication with a
  retail value of 4,544,979

6
Health Access Program

• Lessons Learned

7
Hire the Right People

• Staff must be able to relate to the people they
  serve
• Ability to provide excellent customer service
• Work as part of a team
• Employee recognition and support

8
Flexibility

• May need to re-define roles and processes
  throughout the development and implementation of
  your program
• Be prepared for change
• Keep in contact with HRSA and your Project
  Officer
• Use the expertise of other HCAP grantees

9
Relationships are Crucial

• Providers/physicians
• Community partners
• Funders
• Clients
• Local/state/national lawmakers
• Media

10
Community Buy-in

• Health care providers (especially the safety net
  providers)
• Community leaders
• Elected officials
• Consumers

11
Traditional Non-Traditional Outreach

• Doctors/providers
• Health fairs
• Media
• Word of mouth
• Churches/faith groups
• Social service agencies
• Website
• Cover the Uninsured Week

• Community events
• Small businesses
• Colleges/universities
• Parent groups
• Schools
• Business expos
• First Call for Help

12
Evaluation

• Clear goals and objectives from the beginning
• Collect the right data
• Are you doing what you said you would do? Is it
  working?
• Consider hiring an outside evaluator if you
  cant/dont want to do it internally
• Use your evaluation data to make changes to your
  program as necessary

13
IT System

• A good IT system is crucial to the success of
  your program and evaluation
• Be sure to choose a system that does everything
  you need
• Think about sustainability of this system at the
  end of your HCAP funding
• Ensure buy-in from your partners and willingness
  to utilize the system

14
Sustainability

• Begin to think about sustainability from the
  beginning
• Dont plan on only one source of funding or rely
  on only one funder
• Be willing to change the way that you and your
  partners do business to achieve sustainability

15
Have Fun!

• When things get stressful, its important to be
  able to have fun with your colleagues!
• Celebrate your successes

16
For More Information

• Marcy Buren
• Director, Health Access
• 1428 W. Court Street
• Flint, MI 48503
• [phone]
• mburen_at_genesys.org