Resources for PAs working in a Community Health Centers or HPSAs

[EricZ]

I recently began work in a FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center), and I'm hoping to start a thread listing good resources and/or good advice for PAs working in community health centers and/or designated HPSAs (Health Professional Shortage Areas). As I'm sure many of you have experienced, the infrastructure and resources of these places tend to be far inferior to their private practice counterparts. Please add any creative ways you have found to help uninsured or under-insured patients get the meds, labs, diagnostics, and specialist services they need. Here are a few I am learning right now..

 

 

• Learn the $4 Wal-Mart and/or Target drugs.
  
• Get to know your community resources - free clinics, mental health, hospital charity programs, etc.
  
• Save "Google Translate" as a favorite so you can print off any education materials in a different language.
  

[oregonpakc]

I work in a FQHC in Oregon, not as a PA, but as an administrator (going to PA school this june). We do a lot of Rxassistance for medications. check out http://www.Rxassist.org . We also staff referrals coordinators who take care of all our referral needs. In my area, there is a program called Project Access Now, which we can enroll patients in who need specialty referrals. Perhaps you have something like this in your area? (http://www.projectaccessnow.org/).

 

Lastly, most hospital systems have patient assistance programs, which patients who are uninsured and low income can apply for. It can reduce the cost of imaging, diagnostics, and hospital stays. If we have to send a patient to a hospital, we help them fill out that paperwork, and fax it to the hospital they are going to along with an advocacy letter.

 

Our facility covers the costs of a basic set of labs, and anything beyond those it is the patient's responsibility. Again, if those labs are not affordable, we help them with patient assistance paperwork to try to bring down the costs.

 

It depends somewhat on if you are in a rural or urban setting, but those are some of the things we do to help our patients receive the care and medicines they need.

 

Hope that helps.

-kevin.

[sbellin]

Working to the north in rural western Washington we have a State funded organization called the Olympic Area Agency on Aging or O3A that facilitates connection to community and State services. It’s not only a resource for the patients but has been a life saver for out of the area children struggling to find help for their aging parents. There might be something similar in Oregon.

 

I like the idea of a thread for rural practitioners as it has its own quirks. The cardiologist, neurologist, or psychiatrist is not just down the hall they may be 2 -3 hours or more away.

I have explored the idea in the past of putting together a CME course specifically for rural clinicians with both didactic and skills station.

The Oregon Health Sciences University consult line has been valuable to bend a specialist’s ear to find out if you’re on the right track also.

 

[EricZ]

Great thoughts so far! @sbellin, I think CME courses specifically designed for providers working in HPSAs is a NEED which is currently not being met, so I wish you all the best in putting together something like that. @oregonpakc, thanks for adding those useful links!