Health Access Initiative Lanier

The Need

Nearly one in ten people in Hall County doesn't have health insurance. Most of these people are self-employed or employed by small businesses which do not provide company-supported insurance plans. When they need medical attention, they turn to the hospital emergency rooms.

Dependence on ERs for medical care has many disadvantages:

FOR THE PATIENT:

Long waits. Because their problems are usually non-emergent and triaged behind true emergency cases, patients add to ER overcrowding.
No continuity of care. They see different doctors, don't get adequate follow-up to insure compliance with physician orders and have no preventative health support.
Poorer patient outcomes. According to the recent Healthy Hall (link) survey, uninsured patients view themselves as sicker than most Hall Countians view themselves. Their views are probably accurate because they postpone seeking care until illness is at a critical stage, and much harder and more expensive to treat.

FOR THE COMMUNITY:

ER Care is expensive. Uncompensated care in the high-cost ER environment puts an unnecessary financial strain on our community's healthcare systems.
Long waits. Primary care is best done in a physician's office, meaning ERs are available to care for true emergencies.

Health Access Initiative is a clearinghouse that helps patients get the care they need in a physician's office. This gives them a "medical home," where records are kept on their conditions, where they develop relationships with providers, and where they get the preventative help and ongoing support they need.

Other communities which have implemented projects similar to HAI have been able to increase efficiency within primary care clinics and have seen total hospital charity care reduced by as much as 23% over time.

P.O. Box 907446 | Gainesville, Georgia 30501 | 770-287-0785 | fax: 770-287-0722

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