Internal Medicine Specialty Clinic: A volunteer program, which Internist's provide specialty consultations for complex uninsured patients prior to referral to specialist

In concert with its mission of “Health Care That Leaves No One Behind”, St. John Health (SJH), Department of Community Health has developed a network of health care services for the uninsured. The “Safety Network” for the uninsured is comprised of six primary care sites; two sites SJH owns and operates, three sites an FQHC partner and one site a health system partner. St. John Health supports the “Safety Network” of primary care clinics by providing laboratory services, imaging services, and hospital care for participating patients. Specialty care is through the “Physicians Who Care” network of volunteer specialty physicians. To support the Primary Care Providers (NP's and FP's) an Internal Medicine Specialty Clinic (IMSC) was developed to draw from Internist's depth of knowledge in specialty areas. RESULTS: Decreased number of specialty referrals by 85% while improving quality of care.