KNOXVILLE, TN -- Appalachian Mountain Project Access (AMPA) was formed in 2007 and has provided access to and coordinated healthcare services for uninsured, low income community members. In a move to promote voluntary services donated by local healthcare providers, AMPA has implemented CareScope's Client, Eligibility, and Volunteer Physician Tracking modules.
AMPA is a community initiative that is focused on connecting uninsured residents of Washington and Sullivan Counties with needed healthcare services. Targeting those who are ineligible for insurance or government-sponsored healthcare programs like Medicaid or VA healthcare benefits, AMPA recognizes there are individuals who may work at one or more jobs with no health benefits yet with incomes that exceed minimum eligibility guidelines for state Medicaid. These individuals cannot afford health insurance because their earnings are needed to pay for food, clothing, housing and transportation costs.
By doing virtually all of the administrative work, AMPA enables physicians to focus exclusively on providing care. AMPA utilizes CareScope's Eligibility module to screen prospective patients for income, residency and medical need requirements. CareScope is utilized as the central enrollment and scheduling system for the initial appointment with the physician or other care provider. CareScope also records the total amounts of services and treatments donated by the physician and his/her practice. Physicians do not face the overhead of arranging for laboratory, x-ray, diagnostic and other such services since AMPA can offer these through its community partners.
According to Lacey McDonald, the Executive Director of Appalachian Mountain Project Access, "AMPA's role in the care pathway is to help bridge the gap for those who cannot afford health insurance and need primary or specialty care. Our volunteer provider network provides the care and AMPA's care managers utilize CareScope to determine eligibility, coordinate appointments, referrals, and follow-ups for the client which reduces the burden on the physicians and provides clients access to needed care."
Patients enrolled in the program sign a contract through which they acknowledge the importance of keeping appointments and cooperating with providers. Although patients can be dropped from the program for poor compliance, AMPA reports that this happens in less than 5% of the cases.
CareScope is specialized administrative software for the healthcare industry to coordinate care for the uninsured and underinsured. The software is used by coalitions and hospitals in 30 communities nationwide. In addition to volunteer physician tracking, CareScope manages client and services data, provides access to a community resources directory (web-based 2-1-1), handles eligibility determination, facilitates care and services for the homeless population and generates outcomes reporting. CareScope has a single point of entry, shares data securely across community or other networks, is portable for field workers and integrates with other medical and demographic software and data.
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