The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #66334

Elizabeth M. Whitley, PhD, Denver Health, 777 Bannock St. MC 7779, Denver, CO 80204, 303-436-4071, lwhitley@dhha.org

Over 16 percent of Denver’s 555,000 residents are uninsured. Denver Health, the public safety net provider serves more than one in four Denver residents. Approximately 40 percent of charges are for care delivered to the uninsured. Denver Health, through its Community Voices project, redesigned the enrollment process for publicly funded health insurance.

Thirty-six Enrollment Specialists are deployed throughout the Denver Health system and in the community to assist clients in completing applications to enroll in Medicaid, SCIP and CICP, the adult discount program. AppTrack, an application system was designed to document the progress of applications, monitor volumes, provide quality control and track the financial impact of the program.

Over the past 4 years, a remarkable increase in enrollment in publicly funded health insurance has occurred each year, resulting in increased revenue for the safety net. For example, in 1999, 51,513 beneficiaries were responsible for over 33 million dollars in charges. The 87,098 beneficiaries in 2001 were responsible for over 70 million dollars in charges. Since collection rates for publicly funded programs are better than for self-pay, the system has benefited significantly.

The success of this initiative is due to collaborative relationships with state and county officials from Health Care Policy and Finance, Medicaid, the SCHIP, and the Division of Insurance. These strategies are replicable by other communities and safety net providers.

Learning Objectives:

After this session, participants will be able to:
• Define what it means to have facilitated enrollment and discuss the value of a management information system in enrollment
• Identify the functions of an enrollment specialist and the importance of a well-defined enrollment strategy.
• Articulate what it means to have a collaborative partnership

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Health Management Information Systems

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Denver Health
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment