Sharing Resources Creates More Funds for Patient Care
 ecause community
clinics traditionally serve people in low-income communities, they are often forced to
weigh administrative dollars against funds for patient care. Organizational efficiency has
become even more important with the recent changes in health care that place new demands
on “safety net” providers.
   Two health care centers in San Diego County have found
that sharing some administrative functions may offer a solution. With the help of a
two-year, $100,000 grant from TCWF, the National Medical Association Comprehensive Health
Center and Mountain Health Center (MHC) in San Diego are consolidating human resources
functions with the goal of increasing patient services. Both clinics are members of the
Council of Community Clinics, the umbrella association for clinics in San Diego County.
“All the members of our Council of Community Clinics have been supportive of each
other, but we hadn’t formally sat down and shared staff resources,” explained
Dr. Nora Faine, executive director of Comprehensive Health Center. However, as she and
leaders of MHC assessed the potential for increasing administrative efficiencies, they
decided to try.
“We started with human resources, because it is an area that can greatly benefit
from quality improvement activities,” Faine said. “We learned that, even though
we serve different patient populations, it’s possible to share administrative
functions when appropriate systems are in place. It’s an especially valuable model
for small and medium clinics, where those functions take large amounts of money that might
otherwise go toward patient services.”
The first signs of success came in standardization of personnel records. Comprehensive
Health, which has a full-time human resources director, provided format and content
templates to MHC, which does not have a human resources director. Policies and procedures
followed.
 “Small
clinics often have difficulty keeping policies and procedures current with changes in
labor law and practices,” Faine said. “We’re able to facilitate those
changes through information exchanges.”
The improved administrative processes have helped both clinics increase productivity
and redirect funds toward direct services. Comprehensive Health Center expanded a
school-linked health program on three San Diego campuses, providing care for 800 more
students and heightening community awareness of the center’s health services. MHC
will increase patient visits by about 600 over the life of the project.
An added validation of the project came when the Council of Community Clinics
established a Human Resources Council to share information with all 14 member clinics.
“These clinics have taken a broader perspective in looking at health care
improvements,” said Alicia Procello, TCWF program officer. “They’ve looked
beyond their own individual clinics and collaborated to impact a larger population.
They’ve been able to strengthen each other and still maintain their own integrity and
identities.”
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