Swope Health Services

Programs: General: shs is a joint commission accredited federally qualified health center. In 2016, shs provided medical, dental and behavioral health care to nearly 40,000 patients who received some 200,000 units of services - or an average of 5 units per patient - in the form of provider visits and other direct services. More than 50% of shs patients reported income of less than 100% of the federal poverty level. For a single mom with two children, that represents a maximum of $1,701 a month or $20,420 a year - hardly enough to live on much less pay for health care. Nearly 75% of shs patients who reported income lived at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Shs served several racial and ethnic groups in 2016. More than half of shs' patients are african american, nearly a quarter are white and most of the remaining patients are hispanic/latino or american indian/alaska native. We are experiencing growth in our hispanic patient population at most locations which is consistent with recent national census data. Electronic medical records (emr): in 2011, shs implemented emr system for its medical, behavioral health and satellite clinics. This was a significant accomplishment since this new technology allowed shs to demonstrate quality of services and ultimately help achieve better patient outcomes. Shs has upgraded emr to a newer version and achieved a level 3 primary care medical home (pcmh) recognition by national committee for quality assurance(ncqa) using emr technology, our providers have made significant progress in meeting meaningful use criteria established to demonstrate quality of services provided to our patients. In 2014, shs established a new primary care access point in belton. In 2015, shs established a new primary care access point in kansas city, missouri, hickman mills school district. Shs received new access point grants from the health resources and service administration (hrsa) for both sites. In 2016, shs opened a new clinic in collaboration with tri county mental health services in north kansas city. Thus, shs now provides much needed primary care services in these new communities. Free and low-cost medications - shs secured approximately $1. 1 million in free medications for its patients through various pharmceutical patient asstance programs. Another $161,666 in medication was provided through pfizer's sharing the care program. This allowed us to dispense 1,112 prescriptions at no or very low cost. This was critical in maintaining the health of the uninsured patients, and also, assisted with purchasing of prescribed medications for shs patients who are woefully underinsured. Maternal and children's services: pregnant women in shs' target service area often don't receive early and consistent prenatal care. As a result, they are more likely than other pregnant women to experience infant mortality or deliver premature and/or low-birth-weight infants with developmental delays and other expensive and debilitating long-term health and social problems. In fact, shs serves a population who has a higher prematurity rate than the national average. We provide case management and related support services designed to identify, enroll and keep pregnant women in its prenatal program. Shs data continues to show that women in its prenatal program experience a lower incidence of negative outcomes. Family planning services are also offered. Knowing inadequate dental hygiene and oral infections can contribute to premature labor, we also refer pregnant women to our dental department for any necessary dental care. Shs supports new mothers post-partum care through a variety of programs and services. For example, we offer classes and one-to-one counseling to encourage women to breastfeed their babies, a strategy that is not only cost-saving but that provides a host of long-term health benefits to both the mother and child. Breast pumps are made available to these new moms. In addition, nutrition education is provided through our wic program which provides services to mothers, infants, and children annually. Shs provided health care services to close to 9,000 child and adolescent patients, treating everything from sprains and cuts to colds and the flu. We also treat chronic conditions such as asthma and behavioral health conditions. Because there are so many things that can impair the physical, social and intellectual development of a child, shs makes every effort to identify these potential problems early so appropriate treatment can be initiated before a developmental problem becomes a permanent disability. To provide children in a high-crime urban area with a safe and exciting halloween experience, shs sponsored treat town at the clinic on blue parkway. More than 1,500 children attended this annual event in 2016. They received treats, toothbrushes and other important health information, including details on how to access dental services at our facilities. Adult medical services: shs has always advocated for preventive care and long-term management of chronic conditions. The majority of shs' patients have chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease (not limited to hypertension, hyperlipidemia or myocardial injury to name a few), diabetes, depression, etc. Shs has a disproportionate number of patients with these chronic conditions and we have initiated several means to address these conditions. If not properly managed, these chronic conditions can lead to heart disease, stroke and a number of other serious and very expensive-to-treat conditions. We have initiated the process of care management and have been modifying our workflows and staffing to achieve the required clinical metrics to help these patients. We initiated daily huddles, modified our workflows and have also organized our staff in teams to help address any concerns and issues the patient might have to help them navigate through the system to help take care of their health. This is a huge task and requires several initiatives - tracking of labs, referrals, hospital follow ups and discharge follow ups. We are in the process of hiring several care coordinators and staff to help in this initiative. We continue to have the health care home program that is sponsored by the state and we have care-coordinators and case managers who work one on one with the patients to help manage their health. Nurses in the health care home program monitor the critical indicators of patient chronic diseases; explain the importance of adhering to medication regimens; and advise them about diet, exercise and other self-management lifestyle changes that are known to slow the progression of their disease. Currently we have four fte case managers/care coordinators to help achieve our patient goals. Swope health services continues to help patients with diabetes by educating them on patient self-care management. The homeless: in 2016, shs assisted some 2,600 homeless patients with health care, housing and other essential services. Shs staff members are active in the homeless services community and often go to shelters, community day centers and homeless encampments to asses basic medical needs of the homeless. We reconditioned our mobile medical unit (a converted rv with an exam room on board) to assist with this effort. The mobile medical van has been well received and is a tremendous resource for community outreach. Once the patients have been indentified and registered in our system, we conduct assessments to determine which services one might need and /or qualify for. Case mangers assist in obtaining physical and mental health treatment as well as housing, transportation, and financial assistance. Case managers also work to find permanent housing for the homeless through programs such as section 8, supported community living services and shelter plus care, as well as low income and other subsidized housing. For those with mental health concerns, both individual and group therapy are offered to assist with obtaining overall mental and physical health goals. Staff also provide medication management, medication assistance and dental services. Finally our outreach staff transports homeless individuals from area shelters to appointments at our clinic to ensure they are getting regular check-ups.