Starting this fall, St. Michael’s Medical Center (SMMC) will implement a medical “home” at the hospital’s Primary Care Center for patients with diabetes and hypertension.
The new initiative, part of a five-year Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program demonstration approved by the New Jersey Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is designed under the state’s Comprehensive Medicaid Waiver, to upgrade patient care for prevalent chronic conditions in the state.
According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 25 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and SMMC, through this initiative, hopes to fill an unmet need for access to care and service in the Newark community where diabetes is ranked as the sixth leading cause of death.
The new medical unit will feature community health screenings and education, referrals and access to needed health care services, focus on lifestyle modification and nutritional counseling, and offer a dedicated patient navigation system as well as assistance with social services.
“The project seeks to improve the health of the community by providing greater access to primary and specialty care, ultimately reducing costly admissions, readmissions, emergency department visits and length of stay for patients with diabetes and hypertension,” said David A. Ricci, SMMC president and CEO. More information is available at www.smmcnj.org.
