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Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Division (HHSA), recommending the Board approve and authorize the Director of HHSA to sign a non-financial Memorandum of Understanding 402-M1510 with Access El Dorado (ACCEL) to participate in the on-going collaborative effort to make El Dorado County a healthier community by uniting, maximizing, connecting and focusing health resources, for a term effective upon execution and continuing until terminated by one of the parties thereto.
FUNDING: ACCEL receives funding from multiple sources including but not limited to partnering agencies, grants, foundations and national agencies, and projects.
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DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION:
Approval of this non-financial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 402-M1510 with Access El Dorado will ensure ongoing participation with other stakeholders in the healthcare community, in an effort to identify opportunities to create synergy and best practices in ensuring availability of health care for the residents of the County.
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
In the 1990’s, representatives from Marshall Medical Center, Barton Healthcare System, the County Public Health Department (now a Division of HHSA) and other healthcare community stakeholders identified a need for a collaborative, unified approach to accessibility of health services in the County.
The Public Health Department collaborated with Marshall Medical Center in seeking and receiving award of a Federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in 2003. In 2005, the Access El Dorado stakeholders applied with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and received a grant titled “El Dorado County Safety Net Technology Project/ACCESS El Dorado.”
Following the original grants, ACCEL sought and received in-kind and grant funding from Blue Shield Foundation, California Healthcare Foundation, and First 5 El Dorado Children and Families Commission, to further ongoing work on several initiatives. These initiatives include but are not limited to the development and implementation of a patient care coordination program called Care Pathways; advancement of electronic solutions for transparent patient program linkages across health services agencies and providers; establishment of a network for the electronic exchange of health information among participating health services agencies and providers; and increasing access and coordination with specialty care providers and services.
Since the inception of ACCEL, the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health of 2009 (HITECH) and most recently the Affordable Care Act of 2010 have all impacted the health care and health information technology landscape, thereby affecting the initiatives and projects identified by ACCEL. However, despite these ongoing shifting priorities, the ACCEL partners remain dedicated to working toward the following long-term goals for 2015 through 2018:
1) Improve the quality of health care and administrative efficiency in El Dorado County by:
a. continuing to improve access to health care services through ongoing Program nurturance and the development of enabling technology,
b. facilitating the formation and integration of systems and inter-agency processes for improved patient care,
c. establishing standardized processes with measurable outcomes (Care Pathways) to coordinate care at critical entry junctures, and
d. building community trust and program linkages.
2) Enhancing health access and outcomes through the monitoring of aggregate data.
3) Overcoming barriers to care, as well as factors impeding integrated care.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board may disapprove this non-financial MOU with ACCEL, thereby terminating the participation of the Health and Human Services Agency in this collaborative project.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel and Risk Management
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board approve this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with this Agenda item. HHSA would provide in-kind services not to exceed sixteen (16) staff hours per month for administrative assistance in the ACCEL project. Sufficient appropriations were included in the fiscal year (FY) 2015-16 budget, and will be included in future budgets for the term of the agreement.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Clerk of the Board to provide one (1) Certified Minute Order to HHSA at 3057 Briw Road, Suite B, Placerville, CA, 95667.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
Health and Human Services Agency Strategic Plan Project 3.2: External/Community Collaboration
CONTACT
Don Ashton, M.P.A., Director