Whitman-Walker Clinic

For Immediate Release
March 2, 2010

CLINIC’S INVESTMENTS BUILD STRONG FOUNDATION FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

Major Changes include Electronic Medical Records, Patient Eligibility/Public Benefits Unit, and Health Insurance/Third Party Billing Infrastructure

WASHINGTON - As noted in recent press coverage, federal Ryan White program monitors have found that some local HIV/AIDS clinics have struggled in recent years to maintain patient records and use Ryan White funds as the payer of last resort for persons living with HIV. Over the past five years, Whitman-Walker Clinic has worked closely with local and federal program monitors to address such issues through significant investments in our health center operations, Clinic leadership said Tuesday.

“Our past programmatic and financial challenges have been well-documented in the media and are well known in our community” said Don Blanchon, executive director of Whitman-Walker Clinic. “Yet many may not realize the significant investments of people, time, and money that have been made to make Whitman-Walker Clinic a community health center of excellence. These investments form the foundation for a financially stronger and more accountable community health center now and in the future.”

Whitman-Walker Clinic is taking a major community leadership role by modernizing our integrated primary/HIV care model through the following investments:

• Implemented electronic medical records. In 2007, the Clinic became the first community health center in DC to implement an EMR. The EMR provides our health professionals with greater efficiencies in caring for patients, better opportunities for documenting patient care, and timely information to measure quality and overall patient satisfaction.

• Established a patient eligibility/public benefits unit. Since 2008, all Clinic patients are screened for commercial insurance or eligibility for public benefits, including Medicaid, Medicare, and DC Healthcare Alliance. If a patient qualifies for public insurance, Clinic employees help them apply for such benefits and to recertify as needed. These same employees also screen all patients living with HIV for Ryan White program eligibility consistent with federal requirements.

• Built major health insurance/third party infrastructure. The Clinic now accepts major commercial and public health insurance for 32 different health plans. As a result, the Clinic’s third party revenues have nearly tripled since 2007. Patients with health insurance have greater access to care as most of our health care professionals are now fully enrolled with these health plans.

“Whitman-Walker Clinic made these investments so that we could be even more accountable to our patients, our donors and our public and private funders now and in the future,” said Blanchon. “As a community health center of excellence, we will continue to live our mission every day by providing high quality care to our patients and by serving as good stewards of the funds we receive.”