NEW YORK (PRWEB) December 13, 2017
The Howard County Health Department (HCHD) in Maryland announces the launch of CAREAPP (Community Access to Resources via Enhanced technology Applications for Providers and Public) today. CAREAPP is a community-wide project, led by HCHD, to support healthy living beyond the traditional healthcare settings.
The CAREAPP project focuses on community clients’ social determinants of health (SDOH), such as transportation, food, education, employment, housing, and health access. The project is designed to:
- identify unmet social and health needs,
- improve a client’s ability to receive social services,
- enhance care coordination between local healthcare and community agencies,
- increase client and provider satisfaction with care coordination,
- and ultimately reduce healthcare costs within the Howard County population.
“The Howard County Health Department recognizes that SDOH impact over 40% of health outcomes. Knowing this, we set out to create a community model to enhance services between Howard County agencies for our most vulnerable population with the greatest social needs," said Maura J. Rossman, MD, Health Officer of Howard County.
CAREAPP is powered by Healthify, a health-determinants screening, and referral tool that allows healthcare organizations to “close-the-loop” in a network comprised of vital social services partners. By fully coordinating with community partners, HCHD care coordinators can identify which referrals are successful and how needs are addressed long-term. The web-based platform features:
- an on-demand, searchable Howard County resource database, verified every 90-180 days
- a needs assessment screening tool for basic SDOH;
- a bi-directional referral tracking system directly between community agencies;
- data analytics to identify gaps in community services and resource mapping.
“The CAREAPP project is an innovative partnership with Healthify that cultivates a single, web-based care-management tool to ensure updated community resources, effective client referrals, and direct communication between Howard County agencies providing health-related social needs,” said Elizabeth Menachery, M.D., Medical Director of Howard County Health Department and CAREAPP Project Director. “This community-wide collaboration motivates more efficient care coordination for our clients, energizes partnerships between our County agencies, and optimizes health opportunities in our community.”
The Healthify Coordinate platform is further supported by the Healthify services team who are working with the HCHD to grow their network of community-based organizations. There are currently 27 private, public, government and academic agencies participating in CAREAPP Network today.
“The Howard County Health Department is blazing a trail with its commitment to adopt a greater definition of healthcare that addresses the unmet social barriers to good health,” said Healthify’s Co-founder and CEO Manik Bhat. “We commend Howard County Health Department’s leadership in prioritizing their clients’ social needs as an essential element of supporting a healthier community and in realizing our shared vision to address these needs as a standard part of quality care.”
For Howard County, the CAREAPP project and Healthify partnership is a continuation of its ongoing investment in innovative projects designed with a focus on prevention and wellness. With Healthify’s platform, HCHD’s 900 CAREAPP users are now equipped to connect community clients to local resources throughout Howard County. To learn more about the CAREAPP project, visit http://www.hccareapp.org.
About the Howard County Health Department
The vision of the Howard County Health Department is to be “a model community in which health equity and optimal wellness are accessible for all who live, work and visit Howard County.” Its mission is “to promote, protect and preserve the health of all in Howard County.”
About Healthify
Powered by a mission to build a world where no one’s health is hindered by their need, Healthify delivers a leading solution to enable healthcare organizations to find community services for their patients, track social needs across their population, and coordinate care with community-based services. As a partner to health plans, social service agencies, and provider networks working with Medicaid and Medicare members, Healthify enables integrated care to fulfill the promise of a value-based healthcare system. For more information, please visit http://www.healthify.us, or connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.