Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE IMPLEMENTATION IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Digital Health
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Unwell in America
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Patient Care
June 07, 2022 05:00 AM

Healthcare in Action takes primary care to the streets

Ginger Christ
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
     HEALTHCARE IN ACTION
    HEALTHCARE IN ACTION

    Using a fleet of Mercedes-Benz vans, a team of Healthcare in Action social workers and medical  personnel meet those who are homeless in encampments, under overpasses or on the street to provide treatment. 

    Healthcare in Action, a not-for-profit medical group, doesn’t pay rent. It pays for parking.

    Using a fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans, the organization provides primary and behavioral healthcare to homeless residents of Los Angeles, with plans to expand to San Diego in July.

    Social workers and medical personnel meet those who are homeless in encampments, under overpasses or on the streets to provide treatments such as wound care, antibiotics for infections and chronic disease management. Exam space in the vehicles offers privacy, but most patients prefer to receive care outside, Healthcare in Action CEO Dr. Michael Hochman said.

    After treating patients, Healthcare in Action workers offer them cell phones or GPS trackers providers can use to locate them for follow-up care.

    SCAN Group, the parent company of not-for-profit Medicare Advantage carrier SCAN Health Plan, debuted Healthcare in Action in January. Within its first four months, the organization had served about 200 patients.

    Hochman formerly treated homeless patients in community health centers and county clinics. He recalls complaints about difficulties accessing care in those locations, particularly because patients lacked adequate transportation and child care, Hochman said.

    “I was always struck that the setting wasn’t well-matched for this population.”

    Dr. Michael Hochman, CEO of Healthcare in Action

     

    “I was always struck that the setting wasn’t well-matched for this population,” Hochman said.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked homelessness to higher rates of mental and physical health problems, including HIV infection, alcohol and drug abuse and tuberculosis. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority estimates there are about 66,400 unhoused people in the county.

    Healthcare in Action is not the first organization to offer street-based medicine or to use mobile vans to deliver care. But the initiative’s aim to be financially sustainable sets it apart, Hochman said.

    The group primarily treats homeless adults who have coverage from SCAN or other insurance companies. For the uninsured, Healthcare in Action connects them to community health centers for care, including by setting up appointments.

    Healthcare in Action received seed funding from SCAN Group and has enough money on hand to maintain operations for the next year and a half, Hochman said.

    The program rests on the premise that devoting resources to early interventions will reduce costs over time, said Dr. Sachin Jain, president and CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan.

    “We spend a lot on the care of people experiencing homelessness,” Jain said. “For this population, the kinds of care we’re spending on represent a major misallocation of resources. It’s far less efficient to pay for emergency room visits, ICU stays and readmissions than it is to pay for robust street-based primary care for people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it.”

    Download Modern Healthcare’s app to stay informed when industry news breaks.

    Typically, most of those who are homeless receive care through emergency departments, which results in hospitalizations that could’ve been avoided, Jain said. Under the Healthcare in Action model, those dollars are instead shifted to primary and behavioral healthcare.

    A new venture from Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, also supports Healthcare in Action’s mission, Hochman said. California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal, or CalAim, provides funding and resources for those who are unhoused, which helps cover the cost of patient care.

    Healthcare in Action is developing partnerships with local hospitals and health systems too. The first, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, began collaborating with the organization this year. Clinicians identify homeless patients who require ongoing care and, with their consent, consult with Healthcare in Action about whether it can help. The hospital then pays to provide care for 30 days and to refer patients to healthcare providers that can serve them over time.

    “It’s far less efficient to pay for emergency room visits,
    ICU stays and readmissions than it is to pay for
    robust street-based primary care for
    people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it.”


    Dr. Sachin Jain, president and CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan

    The partnership has been “terrific” so far, said Dr. Sharon Isonaka, the hospital’s chief value officer and vice president of clinical efficiency and value. Cedars-Sinai has referred two dozen patients over a two-month period to the street medicine provider, she said.

    “We didn’t want this to just be a stopgap without connecting the patient to longitudinal care,” Isonaka said.

    Isonaka hopes the partnership reduces reliance on the ED for care better provided in other settings, she said. “This isn’t a money-making opportunity, but it’s an investment we think in the long term is going to pay off in better healthcare for our patients,” Isonaka said. “The more people in established care, the more unnecessary emergency room visits we avoid.”

    Carole Fisher, president of the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, said Healthcare in Action is bridging gaps and improving equity. Her organization recently recognized Healthcare in Action with an award for its innovation.

    “They’re embracing and creating access for patients who are complex and often regarded as impossible, as the most difficult to work with,” Fisher said.

    Related Articles
    SCAN's medical group for homeless patients grows insurer clients
    Record fines might mean California is finally serious about improving Medi-Cal
    California’s reboot of troubled Medi-Cal puts pressure on health plans
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Empty hospital beds
    Health systems struggle to fill beds amid care delivery shifts
    Atrium-Best Buy partnership
    Best Buy Health leans into at-home care through large provider deals
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare A.M. Newsletter: Sign up to receive a comprehensive weekday morning newsletter designed for busy healthcare executives who need the latest and most important healthcare news and analysis.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Digital Health
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Unwell in America
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing