ROAD TO FUNDING
In 2023, the Community of Practice collaboratively identified several funding elements that align with their vision to improve the health of our communities and our organizations. Each of these elements were strategically designed to include shared goals, deliverables and measures of success for the purpose of pursing collective funding.
Foundational Funding Elements
The foundational funding elements are core elements that would be included in every funding proposal on behalf of the Community of Practice. These elements include: Health Systems Access to Care Fund, Community of Practice, and Care Model Principles. The description of each element, including goals and success criteria, are outlined below. These foundational elements will be strategically combined with the optional funding elements to best align to various funding opportunities.
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The Health System Access to Care Fund (HSACF) is a collaborative effort of Kaiser Permanente NW, Legacy Health, PeaceHealth, CareOregon and Providence Health & Services and was created for community-supported clinics in the combined service areas of Oregon and SW Washington.
The GOAL of the fund is to strengthen the capacity and infrastructure for clinics that are expanding and/or adapting their current models to respond to the changing needs of patient populations due to ongoing healthcare reform, Medicaid transformation, and the increasing pressure on the safety net for access to care.
The success criteria includes:
Improvement in the financial sustainability of grantee community supported clinics (CSC)
Expanded patient access and removal of barriers to CSC services
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The Community of Practice (CoP) consists of the HSACF CSC grantees & system Advisors and Technical Assistance consultants. The purpose of the CoP is to collectively position the CSC grantees to meet the unmet health needs of the communities served, enhance population health and to support long-term sustainability.
Goals include:
Expand the scale, reach, efficiency, or effectiveness of programs and services
Leverage resources for new programs and/or services that align with the organizational missions
Achieve lasting positive outcomes for the beneficiary populations served by CSCs
Develop a model for collaboration among HSACF grantees and the participating health systems
Help CSC grantees as a CoP to identify shared goals, and grant opportunities
Develop and align grantees on a CoP plan to collectively pursue grant funding for identified goals, market the partnership, and effectively manage shared grant funds
Develop a proposal on behalf of the grantee partner CoP to fund identified goal(s), pending grantee participation, alignment, and the availability of grant opportunities
Success Criteria
Identification of gaps and root cause analyses to achieving CoP goals
Prioritization of goals and development of a corresponding roadmap
Grant proposal for shared goals
Alignment of CoP grantees on a governance model that defines roles and accountability to:
Agreements and data collection methodology to support CoP grant development
Collective pursuit of grant funding for shared goals
Process for Managing shared CoP grant funds
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Defining Individual Clinics Care Models so that their leadership have a framework to support resourcing decisions for programs and services; rightsizing resources and strategies based on a framework that enables the organization to pinpoint the actual care model they are using to better inform education and alignment for the Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers.
Optional Funding Elements
Below are the optional funding elements that would be strategically included in proposals based on the opportunity. Click on each element to learn more about the identified deliverables and their measures of success.
Professional Development, Mentorship & Benefits
Professional Development and Mentorship
As a strategy to recruit and retain both staff and volunteers, offering internal and external professional development and mentorship opportunities models the investment the organization has in the front-line people that are providing programs and services for the communities we serve.
| Deliverables | Measure(s) of Success |
|---|---|
| 1. Development of an equitable selection process for access to training and mentorship | Staff Survey for feedback on the process of selection for, and engagement with training and mentorship opportunities |
| 2. Identify, document and offer both internal and external professional development and mentorship opportunities to staff and volunteers | Documented opportunities for internal and external professional development and mentorship that were offered/provided to both staff and volunteers |
Comprehensive Staff
Benefit Package
Offering benefits is an appealing factor for talent when considering employment opportunities. As a strategy to recruit and retain staff, an enhanced benefit package would include:
Continuing education with professional development and mentorship for staff and volunteers;
Funding for a health benefit package comparable to OHP plans or other plans benchmarked for quality; and
Benefits for family and cost of living adjustment for staff
| Deliverables | Measure(s) of Success |
|---|---|
| 1. Development of comprehensive benefits package | Comprehensive benefit package offered - Yes/No |
| 2. Distribution of comprehensive benefits package to existing employees & any new employees |
Enhanced Data-Informed Decision Making
Standardization of data collection, analysis and application tools and processes to inform and support decisions regarding services, operations, and sustainability of each individual clinic.
| Deliverables | Measure(s) of Success |
|---|---|
| 1. Adoption and use of standardized process and tools for decision-making | Adoption of process and tools to track and measure |
| AND/OR | |
| 2. Standardization or decision-making at the appropriate level of analysis (clinical team, admin team, etc.) | • Data governance structure and tools • Culture and practice of using data identified and adopted |
| AND/OR | |
| 3. Keeping clinical staff supported with procedures, standards, efficient access to EMR, etc. | • Staff/volunteer retention rate • Survey – specific questions about support and barriers, quality improvement/ experience |
Standards of Care Through Quality Assurance
Establish a foundational framework for implementing quality standards of care with appropriate oversight and data- informed tools for auditing and monitoring to incorporate continuous improvement for comprehensive care to the communities served by each individual clinic.
| Deliverables | Measure(s) of Success |
|---|---|
| 1. Onboarded & trained quality assurance role | Yes/No |
| 2a. Quality audit tools and process | Yes/No |
| AND/OR | |
| 2b. Focused staff & Volunteer Training | Yes/No |
| 3a. Staff experience surveys | Staff/volunteer retention rate |
| AND/OR | |
| 3b. Provider quality peer review process | Yes/No |
Position to Improve Access, Quality & Continuity
Permanent position to fill a specific role as indicated based on greatest need to increase access, quality, and continuity.
The hired paid position can be one of the following:
Medical director
Provider
Quality assurance staff or contractor
IT training staff or contractor
| Deliverables | Measure of Success |
|---|---|
| Hiring of identified position | Hiring and retaining identified position for at least 12 months |
Combination Element: Standards of Care & Quality Assurance Position
If a position for quality assurance role is selected, it can be combined with the standards of care and quality assurance by selecting quality audit tools and process as the deliverable. This position could support the Community of Practice as a whole instead of separately by clinic.