Project Aim Statement Reduce the number of denials and closures of KMC-assisted CHIP applications

Process Improvement Collaborative Who we are Kootenai Medical Center (KMC)  Full service hospital owned by residents of Kootenai County (pop.105,000)  42,601 ER visits in 2002  232 beds Idaho Dept. of Health & Welfare-Region One (IDHW)  Medicaid below 133% FPG  14,000+ on Medicaid U-19  S-CHIP 133%-150% FPG  1,400+ on S-CHIP

Focus-testing to date Historical Data- applications (insert chart) Began with renewal postcards Small number in test cycles Changed gears to application assistance

Improvements as result of testing CHIP TIPS-small tests around application assistance Patient applicants Tested positively with Social Services staff as a document for application assistance Non-patient applicants Tested poorly as a document to send home with families-too technical Ready to expand to use with application assistance workers

Next steps Recent data suggests problem with closures at time of renewal Small scale-testing Is this a problem only at KMC? Does this problem exist outside of test population?

Next Project Aim Statement? Increase the number of renewals of KMC-assisted applications

Goals for CKF-PIC What we can do in one year  Track KMC-assisted non-patient applications  Develop streamlined application process with a feedback loop for denials/denial codes  Develop tracking method for renewal prior to renewal date  Communicate with test population about importance of renewal  Develop KMC assistance program for renewal paperwork