Partners HealthCare pledges $2.2M to aid health centers

LYNN – Partners HealthCare, parent of North Shore Medical Center, last week announced a $2.2 million commitment to the Mass League of Community Health Centers to help health centers reshape the way care is delivered around the state.The funds will be used to support a wide range of workforce development programs – including training and technical assistance – as the role of health centers continues to expand and evolve in Massachusetts’ rapidly changing health care landscape.”Community health centers are among the Commonwealth’s most valuable health care assets,” said Gary L. Gottlieb, M.D. President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “For decades, community health centers have pioneered and developed models of care that deliver high quality and cost effectiveness. We must continue to support their ongoing mission to deliver the best value possible to patients and their families.””The demands on the state’s network of community health centers have grown leaps and bounds since the launch of state health reform and as more residents are impacted by the state’s economic challenges,” said James W. Hunt, Jr., President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. “These investments are critical to strengthening the state’s health centers and expanding their affordable, high-quality primary and preventive health care to more Massachusetts residents in need.”Approximately $1 million will be invested in a process improvement training program – Lean Performance Improvement Training – for community health centers. The program provides practical tools to identify problems, improve patient and clinician satisfaction, and sustain effective change. Enhancements made through the training can improve the effectiveness of care delivery, as well as access to and engagement in patient centered medical homes, which have shown significant impact on both patient outcomes and costs.At Lynn Community Health Center, the team focused on how to reduce patient wait times when calling in on the phone to seek appointments and other information. By improving the phone call intake process, they were able to drastically reduce call waiting times and reduce the number of patients that simply hung up by 70% n improving patient engagement and access.”Not only has this initiative improved patient access and support, it has created new leaders within our organization who are dedicated to continuously finding ways to improve the patient experience,” said Lynn Community Health Center Executive Director Lori Abrams Berry.