Neighborhood well being facilities (CHCs) function essential well being care entry factors for these with low incomes or who lack insurance coverage. Nonetheless, CHCs face persistent supplier shortages and burnout that predate, and have been exacerbated by, the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Encore Physicians Program — a partnership between Kaiser Permanente, the Encore Fellowship Program and CHCs — recruits retired physicians from The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) to fill staffing wants at CHCs whereas offering the physicians with a significant work alternative of their retirement. Beginning with a pilot in early 2018, the Encore Physicians Program continues to develop and has now hosted over a dozen physicians in 5 well being middle programs all through the Bay Space. In 2021 it started an enlargement to the South Bay and San Francisco.
From 2018 – 2021, the California Well being Care Basis partnered with Have interaction R+D to judge this system. The temporary (out there for obtain under) summarizes this system’s key parts, key impacts, and issues for scaling or replicating the mannequin in different settings. The accompanying slide deck gives a extra in-depth take a look at the analysis’s findings.
Key Findings
- Total, there was extensive curiosity from retired physicians, although not all have been a very good match for well being facilities’ wants.
- There was continued curiosity in this system from retired physicians over time, a lot of whom heard about this system by the TPMG e-newsletter and thru private connections.
- About half of doctor candidates discovered placements at well being facilities, together with through the pandemic.
- The primary motive physicians weren’t positioned in this system is that their specialty was not wanted, indicating a possible mismatch between well being facilities’ wants and physicians. Just a few weren’t positioned as a result of they weren’t a very good match with well being facilities’ mission and values.
- Whereas there was some concern that physicians wouldn’t be situated the place well being facilities wanted them, generally there was a provide of physicians situated inside commuting distance of clinics.
- Total, retired physicians and well being facilities have been very happy with this system.
- Well being facilities reported excessive satisfaction with the matching course of, Encore physicians’ high quality of care, and assist from the Encore Physicians Program.
- Encore physicians reported that they appreciated the part-time schedules, that this system gave them a way of goal, and that the matching course of was clean.
- Well being facilities are overcoming challenges reminiscent of working with Encore physicians’ part-time schedules to make sure high-quality care.
- Encore physicians reported that the onboarding and credentialing course of at well being facilities could be time-consuming and that you will need to discover a clinic that could be a good match for his or her abilities and time.
- Physicians helped develop workforce capability and entry to care whereas benefiting from their participation.
- The flexibility of the Encore Physicians Program to put each main care physicians and specialists enhances its potential to handle workforce points.
- Some specialists — reminiscent of ob/gyns, cardiologists, podiatrists, and orthopedists — are generally a very good match for well being facilities and might fill gaps in specialised care.
- Throughout the board, well being facilities reported receiving constructive suggestions from sufferers about Encore physicians.
- Encore physicians reported that the placements helped give them a way of goal of their retirement.
- Whereas program participation slowed initially of the pandemic, curiosity in this system remained robust on the finish of 2020.
- In spring 2020, initially of the pandemic within the US, well being facilities skilled a lower in affected person visits and different modifications that led to misplaced revenues and workers furloughs. Later in 2020, the transition to telehealth improved affected person entry to care and well being middle revenues, which renewed, a minimum of partially, the necessity for Encore physicians.
- Doctor curiosity in this system remained robust, with Encore physicians returning to their placements all through summer time 2020 and extra physicians making use of towards the top of the 12 months.
- The Encore Physicians Program made some diversifications through the pandemic, with many physicians working nearly. This shift to telehealth could present alternatives to adapt this system.