Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Improving the Health of the Community through Collaboration with Cheyenne Health and Wellness Center

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center and Cheyenne Health and Wellness Center partner on several initiatives:

Safety-Net Primary Care Medical Home—Launched in response to assessed gaps in access to care for vulnerable patients, the pilot program aims to engage more proactively with patients with chronic disease to improve access to care, help patients manage their symptoms, reduce acute events, and improve their health outcomes.

Laramie County Community Partnership—This coalition of local health care and social service providers addresses community issues, encouraging organizations to view one another not as competitors but as partners with mutually benefitting strengths. CRMC’s chief financial officer is treasurer of the LCCP Board.

GoalConnect—This web-based system will allow for a collaborative client/patient management system to generate a single coordinated client/patient plan. The system will offer an electronic client management system to reduce duplication of services, enhance coordination, streamline patient intake, and reduce appropriate utilization of health care services such as the emergency department. Eight agencies, including CHWC and CRMC, have committed to provide resources for the project and will implement the system, scheduled for first quarter 2012.

 Laramie County Centralized Pharmacy—A program of CHWC, the pharmacy allows patients access to the medications they need, at no cost, to assist in the treatment of their health conditions. Medications that would otherwise be destroyed are being used for patients who are chronically ill or would become so without prescription medication received at the centralized pharmacy. The pharmacy also administers CRMC’s prescription assistance program for long-term prescription medication needs.

Home oxygen program—CHWC acts as a clearinghouse for CRMC patients discharged to home with oxygen. Through a contractual relationship between CHWC and a home oxygen provider, at discharge uninsured hospital in-patients are provided with home oxygen free of charge for a four-month period. During this time, CHWC’s case manager works with patients individually to secure insurance coverage, locate other needed resources, and make application for CRMC’s Charity Program. If the patient has no medical provider, he/she is offered the opportunity to receive services at CHWC on a sliding-scale fee. At the end of the program period, patients are offered the opportunity to continue to receive home oxygen services at a much reduced cost.

These initiatives involve numerous community partners working together to serve the area’s vulnerable population.