Integrating health system business and strategic planning with a faith-based network to improve community health

The Memphis Model promotes a comprehensive enhanced focus on building a health system inclusive of all community and congregational assets required to improve health outcomes and eliminate disparity in our area. The Memphis Model is also being leveraged to proactively manage the charitable mission through community engagement, provider collaboration, accountability to identified needs and accessibility of services. The model focuses on the Congregational Health Network (CHN) of over 500 churches, to navigate patients to optimal points of care through health navigators employed by the CHN, who in turn rely on church liaison volunteers for public health outreach. Early outcome data reflect reduced hospital readmissions for patients who are members of the network, half the rate of crude mortality and a decreased per capita cost of $8,705 per person, compared to controls out of network. The presentation shares how the Strategic Planning and Market Research divisions of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) worked intentionally with the Center of Excellence in Faith and Health researchers and CHN staff to target high utilizers and decrease inappropriate use of EDs and high charity care write offs in specific under-served zip codes. Blending GIS hotspotting technology first created in Camden with the relational “high touch” navigation of our CHN navigators and liaisons enabled MLH to reach deep into these areas and improve hospital utilization rates, through what we call “participatory hotspotting.” Lessons learned from this effort that could be replicated in other health system will be shared in a presentation and panel discussion format.