About
In addition to the programs SET forth above, the foundation participates with the medical center in outcomes research regarding the quality of health care. The development of a vertically-integrated health care system requires both documentation of and improvement in the quality of care, specifically, the care provided in physicians' offices. Although the quality of care provided in hospitals has been measured on an ongoing basis for many years, there was less known about the quality of care provided in physicians' offices. Outcomes research which quantifies the quality of care provided in the physicians' offices of the foundation is readily available in a vertically-integrated health care system. The foundation provides the information necessary to dramatically improve such care, which benefits the community. 5. Provides charity care: the foundation physicians are required to participate in charity health care programs established and operated by the foundation and the medical center and to provide the outpatient needs of the indigent in the community. Currently, the medical center provides inpatient and outpatient services to indigent emergency room patients who require such services. For those patients unable to pay, the foundation provides them with charity care during clinic hours if they meet predetermined criteria. The physicians of the foundation also provide indigent care at the medical center as part of their hospital staffing assistance. The foundation care managers and social workers screen patients for social determinants of health and connect patients to community resources. The foundation provides financial assistance when appropriate for safe transitions of care. The foundation social workers provide clothing for patients under its care who are unhoused or LACK adequate resources. The foundation provides health care services to MEDI-CAL and medicare program beneficiaries without discriminating. 6. Committed to increasing access to care and coordination of care: the foundation is committed to increasing access to care, improving coordination of care in order to reduce unnecessary variation and utilization, and improve patient outcomes. Our physicians, managers and staff are collaborating with colleagues across the entire health system, with the major health plans, and with community organizations to achieve these goals. Some examples of these efforts are: - our initiatives are designed to engage community physicians in projects to ensure that patients are receiving the right care, at the right time, at the right place, with the right resources. - the foundation is redesigning primary care to establish a more population-focused, patient-centered approach to care. By creating a new care team model, primary care physicians will improve their access to care, be more proactive in reaching out to patients for preventive services, and have more time to dedicate to chronic disease management. - cedars-sinai medical care foundation is sponsoring the implementation of a comprehensive electronic medical record within its clinics, with the purpose of improving patient safety, incorporating evidence-based guidelines, streamlining office operations, reducing duplicative services, improving coordination of care and meeting federal regulations for adoption of electronic health records. This implementation will meet ALL the criteria for "meaningful use" as defined by the federal government. Cedars-sinai medical care foundation also offers its patients a secure online portal for improved access to care and services, better self-management, and lower cost alternative office visits - cedars-sinai medical care foundation has developed an analytic model for identifying its most fragile patients. These patients have dedicated case managers ensuring that they are receiving their care in a timely manner in the most appropriate setting, and that they are maximizing the use of community resources. We also have a system to monitor several health indicators through the use of biometric equipment in patients' homes. The goal is to reduce these patients' need for high cost emergency and inpatient services - cedars-sinai is dedicating resources to evaluate the most common causes for readmission and creating new programs and services to address the needs of this population of patients. Cedars-sinai medical care foundation fully supports the affordable care ACT, as demonstrated by its participation in the medicare shared savings program, four commercial accountable care organizations, and the california exchange, covered california. Cedars-sinai medical care foundation provides a robust infrastructure of care coordination for ALL the patients it serves, regardless of payer arrangement, including care management, social work services, house calls, disease management and supportive care medicine. These services are also provided to members of the community who appear to be using the emergency department at cedars-sinai medical center for primary care. These patients are typically uninsured, homeless, or otherwise medically or socially fragile. Cedars-sinai medical care foundation has a dedicated care manager who reaches out to them and connects them to cedars-sinai medical care foundation or other community resources. Cedars-sinai medical care foundation screens patients for social determinants of health to better inform its referrals to community resources. The care managers and social workers also partner with cedars-sinai community health workers to develop longitudinal relationships with especially vulnerable patients to support adherence to care plans and connect them to appropriate community resources. Cedars-sinai medical care foundation provides educational events free of charge for 9 local skilled nursing facilities. Cedars-sinai medical care foundation also provides a monthly advance care planning class, and a quarterly caregiver support group. The foundation continues to study racial and ethnic disparities in its HMO patient populations cancer screenings and chronic disease management, and identifying opportunities and strategies to address identified disparities.
In care of Stella CHEN
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