Healthcare Innovation Awards: Children’s Hospital and Health System

Abstract

Children’s Hospital and Health System received an award to create Care Links, which will support members of Children’s Community Health Plan (CCHP), the system’s Medicaid HMO in Southeast Wisconsin, as they navigate the healthcare system. Care Links will allow community health navigators to educate and empower health plan members to navigate the healthcare system, connect with a primary care doctor and receive preventive care and appropriate screenings. Community health navigators will offer services to individuals and families who have had two ER visits within six months. A nurse navigator will work with health plan members diagnosed with asthma who have had one ER or one inpatient stay related to asthma. Both the community navigators and the nurse navigator will reinforce the availability of urgent care and CCHP’s 24/7 nurse advice line. The goal of Care Links is to reduce avoidable ER visits, improve health outcomes (specific HEDIS measures) and reduce cost. Over the three year period, Children’s Hospital and Health System will create nine jobs, including a program manager, community health navigators and nurse navigators.