Greenville Health System - AccessHealth

Overview

AccessHealth’s mission is to support communities in creating and sustaining coordinated, data-driven provider networks of care that provide medical homes and ensure timely, affordable, high-quality health care services for low-income uninsured people in South Carolina. Greenville Health System (GHS) has two of the 11 AccessHealth networks in South Carolina: Mountain Lakes AccessHealth (MLAH) and AccessHealth Greenville County (AHGC).

AHGC began making an impact on the uninsured of Greenville County in 2011, when the program was piloted at the United Way of Greenville County. GHS received the grant and adopted AHGC in July 2014 to expand capacity through system integration and current community relationships. Mountain Lakes AccessHealth has been providing care coordination, navigation and case management to the uninsured of Oconee and Pickens Counties since March 2012.

Impact

MLAH results include: 810 patients served through August 2016 (700 in dental clinic), with 344 in active case management. Inpatient utilization decreased by 27 percent, emergency department (ED) utilization decreased by 57 percent, associated costs for inpatient care reduced by 34 percent, and associated costs for ED care reduced by 23 percent.

AHGC results include: 3,193 patients served through August 2016, with 2,682 currently receiving care coordination. Pre/post-total ED utilization and inpatient hospitalizations for patients enrolled demonstrated reductions by 8.6 percent overall, 27 percent for diabetes, 14 percent for dental conditions, 15 percent for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 40 percent for congestive heart failure, 55.6 percent for hypertension, and 20.4 percent for behavioral health conditions.

Lessons Learned

Through AccessHealth, GHS has learned that partnering with safety-net providers to better coordinate the care of the uninsured creates a collaborative network of community stakeholders that work together to improve health outcomes through improved access. GHS is able to ensure that vulnerable, at-risk patients have access to the appropriate care in the appropriate care setting when they need it.

Future Goals

GHS is working to expand MLAH into Pickens County to support uninsured residents. Both AccessHealth networks have strategic plans to continue to grow to support all uninsured residents in the communities GHS serves.

Contact: Jennifer Snow
Director, Accountable Communities
Telephone: 864-797-7854
Email: jsnow@ghs.org