IMPACT, Milwaukee County’s comprehensive information and referral line, has partnered with My Health Direct to provide access to health care for the poor and working poor of the community.
By dialing 2-1-1 on the telephone, callers connect with community resource specialists who stand ready to assess each caller’s needs and help to solve problems, providing information on and referrals to the many family, health and social service organizations available in the greater Milwaukee area.
2-1-1 @ IMPACT is a 24-hour central access point for information and referral services that serves more than 120,000 people each year.
Using a specialized database, 2-1-1 @ IMPACT can search for and schedule same- and next-day primary care appointments on behalf of callers.
In 2002, IMPACT expanded its telephonic services to operate the 2-1-1 information and referral line serving individuals and families throughout Milwaukee County. 2-1-1 @ IMPACT was one of the first 2-1-1 call centers in Wisconsin at the forefront of a nationwide initiative that now spans 41 states.
“Access to primary health care services is a priority and a challenge for many families in Milwaukee County,” said Mike Davis, president and chief executive officer of IMPACT. “We’ve chosen to partner with My Health Direct to help callers schedule timely appointments so that they can get healthy and stay well, as part of our overall commitment to improving the well-being of the community,” Davis said.
My Health Direct (MHD) is a Web-based tool that organizes open appointments in the community into a web-based searchable and schedulable inventory of health care services. Users select appointments that best match the needs of the patient from the on-line search results and confirmation is automatically sent to the clinic indicating that the open appointment has been filled.
Since MHD was launched at Aurora Sinai Medical Center in June, 2006, almost 2,000 uninsured, Medicare and Medicaid patients have been scheduled into primary care appointments, including dental service, at area community health clinics. MHD is also now in use at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center on Milwaukee’s south side.
“We are pleased to be part of this collaborative effort to improve access to care,” said Bob Waite, director of 2-1-1 @ IMPACT. “MHD allows our referral specialists to book and confirm actual appointments with over 25 different providers and clinical sites so that people do not delay access to needed care or turn to the more costly hospital emergency room for non-emergent visits. That is a real positive for the patient and the community, and is consistent with our mission,” Waite said.
Overuse of the hospital emergency room for non-emergent care needs is a problem that impacts many hospitals in urban communities, and one that reflects the challenge that people, especially low-income and uninsured, have gaining access to timely care.
For more information, call IMPACT at (414) 256-4810 or visit www.globalhealthdirect.com.
