How FQHCs in One of the US’ Most Populous Counties Utilize HIPAA-Compliant Two-Way Text Messaging to Conduct Personalized Outreach to Increase Preventative Screenings
The Client
Three Maricopa Co. FQHCs:
- Valle del Sol
- Valleywise Health
- Wesley Community and Health Centers
Specialties: Primary Care, Womens Health, and Behavioral Health
The Goal
Improve clinical outcomes impacted during the pandemic, reduce misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine, and mitigate barriers to care access
The Result
Timely and tailored communication across organizations to ensure vulnerable populations have equitable access to health information and services
Arizona is home to approximately 7,430,000 Americans. More than half of them reside in Maricopa County, making it the most populous part of the state. The county is geographically expansive with a land area greater than that of four other states.
Comprised of cities including Phoenix, Mesa and Glendale, this area of Arizona boasts the title of the nation’s fastest-growing county. Although Maricopa County boasts a rich history, scenic mountain ranges and one of the largest parks systems in the United States, roughly 16.5 percent of its population earns an income below the poverty line.
The Challenge
A large low-income population means an especially difficult mission for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH), which strives to increase the quality of life for its residents by collaborating with its community to develop and implement strategies, programs and services addressing the emerging and changing needs of public health. Such initiatives require a lot of resources, especially financial ones.
MCDPH got an economic boost when it was awarded four million dollars as part of the federal government’s “Advancing Health Literacy to Enhance Equitable Community Responses to COVID-19” initiative. The goal of the grant provided through this initiative was to identify and implement best practices for improving health literacy to enhance COVID-19 vaccination and other mitigation practices among underserved populations.
A primary strategy of MCDPH was to utilize this grant funding to target patients living in high social vulnerability index (SVI) communities within the county. Serving many of these individuals, some of whom do not have health insurance, are federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs) Valle del Sol, Valleywise Health and Wesley Community and Health Centers. All three organizations provide primary care services to vulnerable and medically underserved populations of Maricopa County.
Together, these FQHCs have collaborated with human services-centered nonprofit organizations that train and support community health workers (CHWs) across the county, such as Helping Families in Need, the International Rescue Committee, Asian Pacific Community in Action and Unlimited Potential. Through funds from the grant, the healthcare providers’ focus was on partnering with CHWs to improve communication with patients utilizing secure two-way text messaging.
Solutions Implemented
The Solution
Providertech was selected as the technology partner for this project. Once the high SVI communities were identified, the project team at Providertech collaborated with MCDPH to develop a strategy to engage people within Maricopa County and leveraged that to identify populations at the highest risk for health disparities, low health literacy and greatest need.
The three FQHCs then implemented Providertech’s HIPAA-compliant two-way text messaging solution to automate and scale outreach to those communities with the goal of improving clinical outcomes negatively impacted during the pandemic, reducing misinformation about vaccinations and mitigating barriers to care access.
More than 4,700 patients engaged in two-way text conversations
Outreach conducted in 6 different languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, and Persian languages
The Result
“We partner with community health organizations to help provide for families in need, whether that’s through assisting in getting them groceries or reminding them to schedule appointments for preventive screenings and vaccines,” explained Teresa Enriquez, Community Resource Navigator at Valleywise Health. “Employing the Providertech technology, we began by sending out text messages to patients who fell under specific gaps of care. Previously, our nurses were doing that communication, so the additional communication tools were helpful.”
Through the partnership between Valleywise and Providertech, the FQHC was able to not only get female patients scheduled for services such as cervical screenings but also refer them to the Well Woman HealthCheck Program, a grant that helps low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women gain access to breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services. Enriquez is bilingual, so having direct communication through real-time text messaging with Valleywise’s Spanish-speaking patients played a big role in improving their access to care.
The ability to respond individually to patients also was advantageous for Lynn Moriarty, a community health nurse with Wesley Community and Health Centers. The FQHC had one-way texting in place prior to the Providertech partnership but often found it difficult to communicate directly with patients during weekday business hours.
According to Moriarty, “The two-way text messaging enables us to receive individualized responses to our communication as if having a one-on-one conversation. Instead of only reminding them to schedule a screening or vaccine, we can include details on the process and refer them to a specific staff member to set up an appointment. In each of our care gap groups, we had people who had positive [screening results] and needed further care, so this personalized outreach may have saved someone’s life.”
For Valle del Sol, Providertech’s two-way text messaging solution aided in improving access to care by reducing telephone wait times for patients attempting to schedule an appointment. It enabled them to ensure timely and efficient care delivery while having a two-way conversation. Also, by being able to include patient education in the text outreach, the FQHC was able to explain the importance of scheduling specific screenings.
“We’ve noticed positive impacts on patients by addressing social determinants of health and providing support beyond clinical care,” remarked Vanessa Guzman, Valle del Sol’s peer support supervisor. “Through Providertech’s patient engagement tool, patients gained a greater understanding of their health conditions, and it empowered them to be more informed and aware of their gaps in care, leading them to schedule appointments.”
Guzman recommends Providertech to other FQHCs and her colleagues within the healthcare industry. “Without a doubt, Providertech has proven to be an outstanding tool, not only benefiting FQHCs operationally but also significantly impacting the communities we serve,” she added. “The comprehensive solutions offered by Providertech and the amazing team behind them have demonstrated their value in enhancing patient engagement, improving communication and streamlining operational processes. They are an invaluable asset for FQHCs aiming to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.”
For all three FQHCs, using Providertech’s HIPAA-compliant two-way text messaging platform reduced the interoperability barriers that so often exist between electronic health record (EHR) systems. The result? Timely communication across organizations to best serve vulnerable populations.
If your healthcare organization is struggling to engage and support complex populations, our Providertech team can help! Schedule a demo to learn more!
Without a doubt, Providertech has proven to be an outstanding tool, not only benefiting FQHCs operationally but also significantly impacting the communities we serve. The comprehensive solutions offered by Providertech and the amazing team behind them have demonstrated their value in enhancing patient engagement, improving communication and streamlining operational processes. They are an invaluable asset for FQHCs aiming to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.
––Vanessa Guzman, Valle del Sol, Peer Support Supervisor
75%
decrease in time spent confirming appointments
With Providertech’s help, we achieved a 75% decrease in time spent manually confirming appointments, helping us to more efficiently engage our patients using the resources we already had.
Amy Bastianelli |
Director of Population Health, La Communidad Hiispana
Adelante Healthcare found that their population health campaigns were easier to manage and scale, meaning they could reach more patients with less manpower.
