Culturally competent cessation services for the populations are limited. The advent of the shift of Medi-Cal into managed care in Los Angeles County has unduly impact the ethnic minority communities, particularly the Southeast Asian community. The goal of the intervention was to work with various HMOs to develop a model for managed care agencies to improve smoking cessation among Cambodian, Thai and Vietnamese patients. The specific objectives were to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of various cessation approaches for the population groups within the managed care environment, to establish a partnership with HMOs in their mandated plan for culturally competent care, and develop a model for HMOs for improving smoking cessation among their patients. Key informant interviews of managed care plan providers and focus groups of community members were conducted as a basis for developing the cessation approaches. A cultural competency workgroup was established to provide input for the intervention activities. A partnership between the HMOs and a community-based organization was forged in order to maximize the available resources and effectively provide the services. The findings confirmed that the burden on the primary care physicians as the “gatekeepers” coupled with the lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate resources often prevents prioritization of tobacco use among their patients. Recommendations for improving smoking cessation for patients within managed care are included.
Learning Objectives: 1. During this session, the presenter will describe the partnership between a CBO and HMO to identify successful cessation strategies for the API population. 2. At the conclusion of the session, the participant will learn how to work with their local HMO to improve cessation among API patients
Keywords: Asian and Pacific Islander, Managed Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Asian Pacific Health Care Venture
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment