CCI launches the first round of its Spreading Innovations program to support four focused innovations that offer alternatives to the traditional face-to-face visit or dramatically reduce waiting times.
As millions of newly insured patients enter the health care system with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we face a critical challenge of improving access to care. These four methods of increasing access have proven effective both outside of the safety net and with early adopters within the safety net. Furthermore, with many safety net providers working to meet the requirements of medical home certification or meaningful use, the interest has grown in patient portals, telemedicine and increasing access to specialty services.
The Spreading Innovations program will support organizations to implement one of four innovations to improve access to care:
- Telephone Visits
- Video Collaboration and Instant Messaging
- Patient portals
- Digital diabetic retinopathy screening
These innovations have already been successfully implemented in safety net organizations in California. This program will focus on building upon the successes of early innovators to support the broader spread of these innovations to new organizations.
Through this program, grantees will have access to a variety of tools, technical assistance, peer support and coaching to help them implement their chosen innovation. Grantees will work with host organizations that have already successfully implemented the innovation in order to gain a clear understanding of how to operationalize the project, gain buy-in from key stakeholders, train staff, redesign workflows and build a business case to sustain the innovation over time. While each grantee will need to adapt the innovation to meet the needs of their patients and staff and to fit with their organizational structure, this connection to a host organization will provide grantees with a solid foundation for their projects.
Click below to download the RFP.
