228666 Improving access to health care for the uninsured: The HealthNet program model

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 9:30 AM - 9:50 AM

Elizabeth Breshears, PhD, MSW, MEd , Social Work Department, California State University, Stanislaus, Turlock, CA
Roger Volker, MDiv , Independent Healthcare Consultant, Turlock, CA
As the nation struggles with the problem of providing affordable healthcare to every American, it is left to local communities to help those who fall through the widening cracks of public and private insurance coverage. This paper is about a community addressing that challenge by building one of the country's most successful health care access networks. Almost everyone knows of Las Vegas. The glamorous hotels, bright lights and rock-star 24/7 lifestyle draw over 30 million people every year to play her games and bask in the sun. Less known is the vast and diverse community of over 1.5 million people hiding in plain sight, working like most Americans to care for their families, educate their children, and make a life for themselves. Even fewer know that 1 in every 4 persons in Las Vegas lacks health insurance. This case study details the organizational development of the Great Basin HealthNet program in Las Vegas from community collaborative to functional entity. HealthNet is a non-profit collaborative agency that has diligently negotiated affordable rates for the uninsured with a horizontal network of medical specialists and primary care providers. A person need only be uninsured and have the means to pay for the reduced rate. To date over 10,000 people in Las Vegas have been served by HealthNet. Highlighted will be the process of developing the provider network, implementation of a patient case management system, and creation of software to track patients and providers. Program protocols and values will also be discussed.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Advocacy for health and health education
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Other professions or practice related to public health
Program planning
Provision of health care to the public

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe how HealthNet provides increased access to primary and specialty care health services for working uninsured families in the Las Vegas area. 2. Discuss how the HealthNet model differs from insurance or managed care systems. 3. Explain how the community collaborative process served as a catalyst for the creation of the HealthNet program.

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Underserved Populations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have contracted with Great Basin Primary Care Association, the parent agency for HealthNet as an independent evaluator to conduct several evaluations to assist with program planning and assessment. In addition, I have worked with the agency on several infrastructure and administrative/planning issues over the last several years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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