Calif. Insurance Pilot Program Slated for U.S. Expansion
A pilot program in California that seeks to help uninsured patients obtain health coverage when they visit emergency departments might expand beyond hospitals owned by Sharp Healthcare, Payers & Providers reports.
Pilot Program Details
The program launched in 2010 in conjunction with San Mateo-based health care finance firm PointCare.
For the program, PointCare installed cloud-based applications on Sharp's desktop and tablet computers that allowed ED workers to determine whether patients without insurance could be enrolled in state or federal health insurance programs.
Results of Pilot Program
More than 80% of the 32,000 uninsured patients screened through the program were found to be eligible for some type of no-cost or subsidized insurance. Eligible patients received assistance from a third party to apply for the programs.
Ankeny Minoux -- COO of PointCare -- said that many of the patients screened were retroactively eligible for Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, and San Diego County's Medical Services plan.
The program saved Sharp about $5 million over two years.
The health system plans to permanently adopt the program.
Program Expansion
Minoux said that PointCare is in negotiations to install the software at seven different hospital systems across the U.S. but did not identify them by name (Shinkman, Payers & Providers, 11/15). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.