Primary Care

Project Title

Consolidating the Oswego Primary Care Safety Net

Grant Amount

$400,000

Priority Area

Primary Care

Date Awarded

October 14, 2009

Region

Central NY

Finger Lakes

North Country

Western NY

Status

Closed

SEE GRANT OUTCOMES

Oswego County faced the impending closure of several primary care practices, resulting in diminished primary care access for its residents and additional stress on its local emergency departments.

This project consolidated the at-risk practices to be under the governance of Northern Oswego County Health Services, Inc. (NOCHSI), and consolidated the smaller practices into larger, comprehensive health centers in higher density population areas where the economies of scale could be realized.

Fundamentally, the extension of NOCHSI’s federally qualified health center-designation to these practices supported its long-term sustainability by providing access to higher reimbursement rates, no-cost malpractice coverage, and favorable pharmaceutical pricing. To accomplish these goals, NOCHSI submitted a change of scope request to the federal government to add these sites to its governance and operation; Oswego County Opportunities relinquished its primary care operations to NOCHSI; and Oswego Health folded its small practices into larger comprehensive centers in key population areas. This consolidation produced financial efficiencies and promoted quality of care by implementing a common electronic health record system across the primary care practices.