Funded by the United Hospital Fund (UHF) since 2019, GNYHA has focused its efforts to improve access to ambulatory care specialties. While delivery system reform has focused largely on primary care transformation, the intersection of primary and specialty care continues to be a challenge for hospital- and community-based practices alike. Hospitals continue to report high no-show rates and long wait times for specialty appointment availability.
In the 2019-20 program year, GNYHA focused on the implementation of enhanced referrals, specialty- and condition-specific decision support templates that are implemented in the electronic medical record. Enhanced referrals help streamline certain referrals while improving communication and collaboration at the primary care/specialty interface. In 2022, GNYHA continued its program to improve communication and coordination at the primary care/specialty care interface. GNYHA engaged a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) network to work with one of its major hospital partners to implement jointly agreed upon tools and processes, following existing successful models to improve access.