Timely and effective access to primary care has great impact on the health outcomes of people living in this region, and it reduces preventable hospital use. With both the aging of the population and the increase in the number of people who will have health insurance as a result of health care reform, the current level of primary care providers is predicted to be inadequate.
A number of efforts have been undertaken over the years to improve access to primary care for the underserved. For example, the Health Council is an active partner in Access Health 100, a Greater Cincinnati Health Foundation initiative and the non-profit spawned by the initiative Health Care Access Now that has the goal of achieving 100% access to a well coordinated, connected and wisely financed integrated system of primary care within the region.
Even with such efforts, primary care resources currently are not evenly distributed throughout the Tristate region and people in some areas do not have adequate access to health care services.* In recognition of this and other areas in need of improvement, a community health care Leadership Summit was held in May 2010.
Based on the results of the Summit, an Executive Stakeholders’ Council (ESC) was formed with the purpose of ensuring strategic alignment of ongoing initiatives and coordination of the community’s individual and collaborative efforts to achieve measurable improvement in population health, patient experience (including access, quality, equity and satisfaction), and the value of care received by all residents of Greater Cincinnati. The Health Council is an active participant in the ESC.
In light of the current and likely future problems with access to primary care, the ESC established a Primary Care Capacity Committee to assess current levels of physical and personnel capacity and to project future needs based on projected demographic and insurance coverage changes.
In addition to private physician practices, a critical source of primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries and the un- and under-insured in both urban and rural underserved areas is Community and Federally Qualified Health Centers (CHCs). Recognizing that these centers – including the City of Cincinnati Health Departments’ clinics – will play an essential role in the spectrum of primary care resources, the Health Council was instrumental in securing the appointment of Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney to the ESC and in explicitly incorporating the CHCs in the Primary Care Capacity Committee’s assessment.
Preliminary results from the Committee’s assessment are expected soon.
* A Greater Cincinnati Health Foundation publication, Exploring Primary Care Services and Resources in Greater Cincinnati: A Chart Book of the Issues (January 2006), presents data about where primary care services and resources are located in the 20-county region, focusing on community health centers and preventable hospital use.