Introduction
As health systems prepare for the impact of OBBBA cuts, partnerships with safety net providers will prove crucial to weathering the uncompensated care crisis. Since 2020, Northwell Health has built a partnership network with over 12 FQHCs driven by a need to improve outcomes for shared patients coming to Northwell's emergency departments and drive site-of-service optimization.
Read below to learn how Northwell's FQHC partnerships have created a coordinated ecosystem of care across multiple markets.
Case Study Snapshot
Footprint: Headquartered in New Hyde Park, NY; 28 hospitals & over 1000 outpatient facilities across NY and CT; NY's 2nd largest provider of Medicaid services
Timeframe: 2020-Present
Challenge: High non-emergent ED utilization by uninsured & underinsured patients with no established primary care relationships
Solution: “Community Healthcare Collaborative Program Agreements”—data-sharing and transitions of care partnerships with 12+ FQHCs across Queens, Nassau, Suffolk, Richmond, Manhattan, and Westchester Counties utilizing Northwell’s private health information exchange (HIE)
Key Internal Stakeholders: Community Health and Wellness/Advancing Healthcare for All, Health Information Technology, Health Management, Care Management