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SJ Health Team Newsletter #9 – January 2023
With the new year comes new opportunities for SJ Health to pursue its vision of healthier futures for those we serve.
I’m thrilled that we have several key initiatives that SJ Health is pursuing to expand access to healthcare for our patients and community. I encourage you to read further to learn about our exciting new virtual health service, Connect2Care. We’ve been piloting this program since November with great feedback from our patients who appreciate the convenience of accessing primary care by phone, computer, or tablet – healthcare is truly available within the touch of a few buttons. With more consumers interested in telehealth, Connect2Care’s launch positions SJ Health to support our patients’ preferences while also expanding timely care delivery options.
We’re also reconnecting you with SJ Health’s Enhanced Care Management Program which was originally featured last year shortly after we began recruiting program participants. Now entering its second year, you’ll be interested to see how patients are benefitting from the case management and referral efforts by our team. ECM is a key piece of the Medi-Cal program’s 5-year transformational outlook to move beyond traditional primary care. I appreciate that SJ Health engaged early in the state’s effort and is already demonstrating the benefits of high-touch connections with our Medi-Cal patients.
We look forward to sharing more about SJ Health’s strategic efforts, as well as our committed and passionate team members in future issues of Pulse. As always, we’re interested in and welcome your newsletter content suggestions.
Though many patients in the “post-pandemic” environment are choosing to gradually reconnect with their providers in clinic and office settings (including at SJ Health’s French Camp and Stockton sites), others appreciate the flexibility to take care of immediate health needs virtually. In fact, telehealth is one of the fastest growing segments of healthcare delivery. Now, SJ Health is stepping up to meet this interest among its patients with a newly launched virtual primary care service – Connect2Care.
Now, with just a telephone, smart phone, tablet. or computer, SJ Health patients can log-in to the Connect2Care platform and within moments engage with a qualified health provider for common ailments such as COVID screenings and medications, cold and flu, coughs, pediatric health issues, rashes, digestive problems and more.
Connect2Care is available for visits that don’t require an in-person assessment, though providers may refer patients to the lab, pharmacy, or a follow-up office visit as appropriate.
SJ Health has partnered with RaiseHand, a virtual platform developer, to build an easy-to-access, patient-friendly interface that allows for easy patient registration and a timely connection to available providers. Patients can choose to engage on or off camera depending on their comfort level, and the platform allows for connectivity to language assistance services to ensure equitable care for our diverse community. For patients with limited online access, services can be phone-based through the toll-free number.
“Connect2Care is unique for community health centers like SJ Health,” says Andrea Mullin, PA, one of several physician assistants supporting the platform. “Many clinics point their patients to third-party telehealth services that aren’t familiar with the community that’s being served nor the clinic’s own patients. The partnership with RaiseHand and our clinical telehealth providers ensures that patients are receiving an ‘SJ Health’ experience throughout the virtual visit. We’re also able to quickly reengage patients with their usual SJ Health providers if additional care is needed.”
Connect2Care was launched in November and piloted with patients who called in for same day visit appointments at SJ Health’s physical sites. With a favorable response from patients, the service was quickly expanded to accommodate more visits.
SJ Health patients can use Connect2Care by calling toll-free 833-388-4C2C, or by visiting the Connect2Care website at c2c.health. Services are available Monday through Friday from 12 pm – 8 pm, and Saturday from 10 am – 2 pm.
In mid-January, SJ Health patients were sent information about the Connect2Care service, and marketing material is being distributed through both SJ Health locations, as well as through the Mobile Health Center.
With the launch of Connect2Care complete, its development team is already working to expand its reach. Discussion and planning are underway to make Connect2Care available during later evening hours and broadening weekend access- not just for SJ Health patients, but for anybody in our community needing immediate primary care.
renewal process that Medi-Cal beneficiaries undergo for continued Medi-Cal eligibility. This process was suspended at the start of the pandemic to ensure continuous coverage and access to healthcare for our community. Now, with the upcoming reinstatement of the redetermination process, it’s critical that beneficiaries respond to any renewal notices they may receive from the state or county when prompted.
With so many of SJ Health’s patients being supported by Medi-Cal coverage, how can we help this process? If you’re connecting with a Medi-Cal patient (including those enrolled in Health Plan of San Joaquin or Health Net), encourage them to reach out to their eligibility worker to advise them of any contact changes. After nearly three years since the process was suspended, it’s believed that eligibility workers may not have many of our patients’ most recent phone numbers or addresses, particularly if they moved during the pandemic. A misdirected renewal notice may result in a delay in Medi-Cal renewal processing or even a termination of benefits.
Let’s help our patients continue to access our services and the healthcare they need! Encourage them to keep their contact information updated if they have recent changes.
Last spring, we highlighted efforts being launched to engage patients in SJ Health’s Enhanced Care Management (ECM) Program. This partnership with Health Plan of San Joaquin (HPSJ) connects patients with several co-occurring risks – homelessness, chronic health conditions, and frequent ER use – with clinic-based case management to help them find supportive resources that put them on a healthier path. ECM is one of several new Medi-Cal program enhancements being launched as California’s Department of Health Service partners with health plans and providers to promote higher-touch care management to the most vulnerable patients.
SJ Health’s John Sisneroz leads this community engagement program for SJ Health with a team of three community health outreach workers. Together, they’re providing support and referrals to a diverse population of over 200 patients that would otherwise face challenges navigating on their own.
Patients are receptive to working with the ECM team. “If you’re worried about food, your health, housing – it can be a daunting experience,” explains John. “But we’re connecting people with services from the Housing Authority, Human Services Agency, the food banks – it’s a breath of fresh air for those who may not have realized resources were available to them.”
New ECM patients are being referred every day. “We start with a list from HPSJ that identifies patients that may benefit from the program,” says John, “but we also get internal referrals from our physicians and therapists in our clinics, and the Mobile Health Center has helped to connect us to the patients they’re working with in the shelters and encampments.” Unfortunately, with a hard-to-reach population, many of whom may not have a permanent address or a phone, sometimes a lengthy referral list will still only result in a few successful contacts and program enrollments.
Still, for those that engage, the program is working! Over 25 of the patients that have been supported by the program to date have “graduated” by finding housing and reducing their overall risk profile.
In 2023, Medi-Cal’s focus on ECM will expand by extending services beyond adults to children under age 18, as well as to integrate ECM services with more robust community support resources such as housing sustainability and housing deposits. “There’s a recognized focus on keeping at-risk patients housed. We know that we can help them improve their health if we can stabilize their housing situation,” notes John.
In addition to pursuing new ECM members and planning for the program expansion to youth, SJ Health is also in discussions with other health plans to potentially support their members alongside those from HPSJ. SJ Health is also looking at expanding ECM services into adjacent counties.
Meanwhile, John is inspired by the growth. Recruitment is underway for additional social workers to support ECM, and additional staffing will be brought in to focus on the community supports. With SJ Health’s commitment, the program could literally assist thousands of our community’s most vulnerable residents in the next several years.
Look for updates about this growing initiative in future newsletters!