In an ongoing effort to champion health equity and improve access to quality care, Health Net, one of California’s largest Medicaid managed care plans, embarked on a transformative journey with its “3 by 120” Campaign. With support from HealthBegins, Health Net engaged community experts to leverage their knowledge and experience and work closely with clinical providers and care teams to identify and address individual-level and systemic barriers to attending well-child visits.
The focus of the campaign was ambitious yet vital: to align with the California Department of Health Care Services’ (DHCS) bold goal of reducing racial and ethnic disparities in well-child visits (WCV) and immunizations by 50%. Specifically, the campaign aimed to ensure that Black infants in Los Angeles completed at least two (ideally three) visits within the first 120 days of life.
Collaborating with regional community-based organizations (CBOs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Health Net set out to achieve several key goals:
- Reduce racial inequities in well-child visits among Black children by 50% by 2025
- Increase the percentage of patients meeting the three well-child visits by 120 days
- Enhance provider knowledge and confidence in addressing patient barriers to well-child visits
- Improve detailer knowledge and confidence in collaborating with care teams to overcome barriers
- Strengthen clinical-community relationships to foster trust and collaboration
Implementing the HealthBegins community health detailing (CHD) approach, partner CBOs underwent training to drive upstream, equity-focused quality improvements, fostering stronger bonds between clinical providers and community resources.
As the campaign unfolded, notable progress was observed. Detailers and care team members reported improved knowledge and self-efficacy in addressing patient barriers to WCV. Collaborative strategies emerged, including assessing patient obstacles, providing resources to address health-related social needs, and enhancing patient outreach and follow-up efforts.
Moreover, the evaluation identified opportunities to refine data collection efforts and leverage successes to achieve long-term campaign objectives.
Health Net’s CHD Campaign stands as a beacon of commitment to health equity, underscoring the power of collaboration, innovation, and community engagement in forging a healthier future for all Californians. As strides are made and lessons learned, the journey towards equitable healthcare continues, fueled by the unwavering dedication of organizations like Health Net. To learn more about the campaign’s impact, you can read the evaluation summary report.