The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) is one of 10 counties in the state that will receive a portion of a $540 million pot of federal funds to develop an innovative healthcare program for low income, uninsured adult patients.
Los Angeles County was awarded the largest and maximum allocation of $54 million annually for three years in the competitive bid, referred to as the Coverage Initiative, for a total funding allocation of $162 million for its Healthy Way L.A. program, which will start September 1.
The local initiative will enroll 94,000 uninsured county patients, many with chronic illnesses, in a program that establishes a community based medical home for the patient in the county’s health centers and public/private partner (PPP) clinics. The program will provide access to primary care services and regular treatment for chronic diseases.
Federal funding restrictions in the coverage initiative limit enrollees to adult citizens or documented residents living at the federal poverty level.
The department spent four months planning and writing its proposal, with extensive input from community stakeholders on ways to reform the current health system within a defined patient segment. A cornerstone of Healthy Way L.A. effort is to provide coordinated care by establishing a medical home for the patient in his or her community for preventive services and chronic disease management for conditions like diabetes, asthma, and congestive heart failure.