Mid-Year 2015-16Recognizing our Organizational Affiliates
Organizational affiliates, or "OAs", as we refer to these members, represent our numerous provider organizations throughout our Southern California region. To understand why this is important to our national HIMSS organization and our Chapter, it's important to understand what these affiliates are and what they do.
As an Organizational Affiliate, provider organizations extend the many benefits of a HIMSS membership to all their valued employees. We decided to get in touch with some of our OA Chapter members to better understand the value they have received from engaging and participating in their local HIMSS Southern California Chapter.
One of our Marketing and Communications Committee members, Len Rosenthal, reached out to his OA Member organization, LA Care in Los Angeles. In this article, Len shares the value received from their HIMSS OA Membership. We welcome feedback from other Organizational Affiliates and encourage your participation in our upcoming Newsletters.
About L.A. Care
by Len Rosenthal, Marketing & Communications Committee Member
Committed to the promotion of accessible, affordable and high quality health care, L.A. Care Health Plan provides health coverage to low-income L.A. County residents. With more than 1.8 million members in five product lines, L.A. Care is the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan. L.A. Care is a leader in developing new programs through innovative partnerships designed to provide health coverage to vulnerable populations and to support the safety net.
L.A. Care, through many initiatives, has been a leader in designing and implementing health IT improvements for Medi-Cal that are often found only among private insurance and Medicare providers. This has enhanced the ability of safety net providers to better serve some of the most vulnerable populations in the county.
L.A. Care has invested $7.4 million in grants to promote the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), health information exchange, immunization and disease registries, electronic prescribing, eConsult and other programs in its provider network and throughout L.A. County. Key programs include:
- HITEC-LA: Technical assistance to help L.A. County providers meaningfully use EHRs; more than 5,600 providers have participated in the program
- California Technical Assistance Program (CTAP): Technical assistance to help 2,165 L.A. County Medi-Cal clinicians reach further stages of meaningful use
- Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPI): Quality coaching program to help 3,100 L.A. County primary care and behavioral health providers improve care for patients with diabetes and/or depression
- eConsult: Online platform that enables primary care providers and specialists to securely share health information and discuss patient care
- Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN): HCCNs are networks of safety net providers who ensure access to health care for underserved populations through the enhancement of health center operations; L.A. Care’s HCCN helps 27 L.A. County Federally Qualified Health Centers reach meaningful use Stage 2 and achieve patient-centered medical home recognition
“Being part of HIMSS SoCal has been quite valuable,” says Len Rosenthal, Director of Marketing and Communications of HIT for L.A. Care Health Plan. “It has helped me understand the latest trends, learn best practices, and connect with innovators throughout Southern California as we move forward on our initiatives.”