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IntroductionFor nearly two centuries, DC General Hospital has stood on the campus at 1900 Massachusetts Avenue SE in silent testimony to the caring and compassion of a humane society which guarantees health care as a right to all of its citizens, regardless of ability to pay. In the Winter of 2000-2001, this pivotal safety net provider faced a financial crisis concurrent with efforts to privatize health care services to the medically indigent. During the same tumultuous time, an extraordinary opportunity appeared on the horizon to shape DC General Hospital -- including its inpatient facilities, specialty clinics, Emergency Care Center, and Level 1 Trauma Center -- into the centerpiece of a national model for an urban health campus. Fueled by an impassioned sense of mission and the support of its patients, the general public, the faith community, and potential local and federal partners, three members of the Council of the District of Columbia, Sandy Allen, David Catania and Kevin Chavous, have proposed that DC General Hospital could be transformed into an Urban Health Campus on Capitol Hill and become a center for academic and clinical initiatives to eliminate disparities in access to care and health care outcomes. A new management team of D. C. Health & Hospitals Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), headed by veteran healthcare leader Michael Barch, took this concept and built the plan for PBC2. The Urban Health Care Campus on Capitol HillExpanded ServicesThe new medical campus will add vitally needed services to the array of primary, specialty, emergency, trauma care, and inpatient services now located on the grounds of DC General Hospital. Long-term care, home health services, substance treatment services, and mental health services all will be integrated into all levels of the PBC2 care continuum. Centers of Excellence will be created to address the needs of special populations and manage chronic illnesses such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular disease. Local and federal partners--including the National Institutes of Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration-would join in building the Urban Health Campus on Capitol Hill, which will serve as the specialty/acute care hub for primary care centers located in neighborhoods throughout the nation's capital city. New Revenue StreamsThe newly updated list of fees will increase revenues by more than $26 million annually and allow the PBC to be fully cost reimbursed for Medicaid. In addition, new profit centers will be added in areas such as ambulatory surgery and dialysis, and available space will be leased to services that will add to the vibrancy of the new Urban Health Campus. A New Medical CenterA modern hospital will replace DC General Hospital in two years with no investment needed on the part of the District. A strategic alliance with Howard University Hospital, the College of Medicine and other healthcare partners such as Children's Hospital will build on DC General's traditional role as a center of academic medicine. School HealthWe will partner with the National School Nurses Association to enhance our school nursing for all students in DC Public Schools, including the Charter Schools, with physician back-up provided by nearby Community Health Centers and members of the Nonprofit Clinic Consortium, emphasizing health education, preventive medicine, immunizations and health screenings. A New Computer NetworkA new network will join all sites in the PBC2 -- at least 33 primary care health centers, the Level I Trauma and Emergency Care Center, inpatient floors, and administrative offices. The resulting efficiencies will be most evident in the areas of in patient registration, charge capture, medical records, tracking, and billing. Focus on Community-Based Primary Prevention and Early InterventionThe PBC's six Community Health Centers will partner with the Non-Profit Clinic Consortium's 13 members and 27 clinics--including -- several Federally Qualified Health Centers -- to expand access to primary prevention and early intervention. Outreach activities will extend deeply into at-risk neighborhoods through the use of mobile vans and health educators whose mission will be to engage the medically vulnerable in primary care medical homes. The expanded primary care network will be the point of entry for many patients newly brought into the PBC2 system of care. Once registered, they will have access to an enriched, expanded and comprehensive continuum of primary, specialty and inpatient care.
New Private Sector EfficienciesProfound changes in organizational structure will set the stage for the new integrated delivery system. Every point of entry for a patient-ER, dental office, health center, etc. -- will serve as an enrollment center into the primary care system. A physician practice plan, single set of work rules for consolidated bargaining units, and efficiency and accountability mandates will form the building blocks of the healthcare organization. Governance will be expanded to include public and private partners and communities of interest. Building on the PBC's Many StrengthsMission
Experience
Organization
Clinical and Support Services
The PBC Present and Future
During Fiscal Year 2002:Revenues and expenses will be in balance for PBC2, because we will realize the full RIF savings begun in FY2001, benefit from Medicaid/Medicare reimbursements that more closely match costs, and realize lease income —
For more information, contact: William H. Jones The Urban Health Care Campus on Capitol Hill |
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