Golden Valley Health Centers – Merced, CA MA/Health Coaching Model in Primary Care

Golden Valley Health Centers  The mission of Golden Valley Health Centers is to improve the health of our patients by providing quality, primary health care services to people in people in the communities we serve regardless of language, financial or cultural barriers.  We are a large, complex FQHC system with 26 sites that offer medical, dental, behavioral health and dental services.  Our health centers are located in two counties, Merced and Stanislaus, in the central San Joaquin Valley.

MAHC AT GVHC Golden Valley Health Centers – Merced, CA

Our Focus  MAHC-Works with Patients to build their self-management skills and achieve clinical and lifestyle goals  MAHC Role: Reinforce health education  Identify the barriers to care  Offer solutions to barriers  Create Action Plans  Follow up on Action Plans

Our Objectives  Become an effective health coach for:  Diabetes  Hypertension  Care Coordination  Improve and expand existing MA:  Professionalism  Communication  Responsibilities

MAHC Model at GVHC  13 weeks of training for a total of 88 hours  Training material was purchased from UC Davis  1 st Cohort of coaches were trained by UCD  2 nd Cohort of coaches were trained by GVHC staff, while undergoing “train the trainer” sign off

Career Ladder  The Career Ladder exist at GVHC, the MA Health Coach has been inserted  Current coaches receive a stipend for completion, and after evidence of improved outcomes the salary ladder will be implemented

Cohort Selection and Roll Out  1 st Cohort  Top performing MA staff, selected by the Center Manager and Back Office Supervisor  MA staff then went through training and selected their own patients (with the assistance of their provider)

Cohort Selection and Roll Out  2 nd Cohort (more strategic)  More strategic: staffing was assessed, a site with a diabetologist was selected, and an additional site where a CMS/CPCA pilot for payment reform were chosen and from there the CM and BOS chose top performers  When sites were selected, a luncheon with the providers and participants was done, and 3 provider champions were selected —this created better buy-in for the program  MA staff and providers worked together to choose patients, however sites selected were those with better availability for the “patient type” needed

MAHC Story from GVHC  Marisela Velazquez, MA Health Coach  Marisela is a GVHC employee, once described as shy but “knows her stuff”  She was a participant in Cohort #1 and implemented her skills with her patients, and got herself noticed!  When an opening became available for a position in the Quality Improvement department for a QI Coach, Marisela applied and was selected.  Marisela currently applies the skills she learned, including her new “outgoing nature”, to her new position daily impacting other MA staff across the GVHC system