A not-for-profit organization contracted with us to identify how it could most effectively use its funds to provide primary care and specialty physician services to uninsured residents of the area.
In the course of our evaluation, we presented and analyzed two distinct options:
The first option was for the organization to hire a physician and other staff and operate a clinic. However, the market assessment showed that the population in need was distributed over a broad geographic area; that public transportation was lacking; that there was insufficient capital to start a clinic; and that operating a clinic did not fit with the organization's mission.
The other option, which was the one selected, was a multifaceted solution that relied on existing providers in the area. This included contracting with the two county health departments to offer primary care services; providing a grant to a local hospital to care for uninsured children; contracting with a group of obstetricians to provide full-term prenatal care and delivery; and enlisting private practice physicians to provide pro bono visits and procedures to a predetermined number of income-qualified uninsured residents each year.
