Solving the "Last Mile" of Access

A person's ability to receive quality health care has so many dimensions to it and so many individual challenges that it can sometimes seem insurmountable to ensure access to everyone.  According to a 2019 study Family Practice physicians are 21% less likely to accept new Medicaid patients than commercial patients, and Psychiatrists are 27% less likely to accept new Medicaid patients than commercial patients. Several other studies have supported this assertion over recent years as well. With fewer providers accepting Medicaid and many physical infrastructures unable to keep up with changing patient needs, it's inevitable that some patients lack care simply for lack of access.

What can be done about these issues?

How do I find a practitioner that can help me? Are there enough practitioners in my area to see me in a reasonable timeframe? How can I make an appointment?  How do I get there? 

These are simply a few of the major concerns facing patients today, but by no means are they all of them.  Beyond these major issues there are what we'd often consider "Last Mile" or even basic necessities for practitioners to be able to treat patients.  What about questions like:

Will my doctor's exam table hold me? Does my practitioner's office have a wheelchair ramp? If my autistic child is stressed during the visit can the office provide a calming environment? Will I be able to hear the doctor's instructions?  Can I even get my wheelchair in the front door of the office? Do I even understand what my practitioner explained? What do these medications even do?

These issues, while not necessarily as common as the major ones above, are no less a barrier to care.  While many of the major issues require major changes, policies, or legislation to help these more local issues can be addressed with ingenuity, collaboration, and a little investment of time and sweat.

In 2019, Western Sky Community Care began operations and immediately began partnering with our local practitioners to help address these hyper-local barriers to care.  To date, we've invested over $157,000 with 33 practitioners to address these "Last Mile" barriers. 

From donations of technology, construction projects, automated doors, entrance ramps, exam tables, weighted vests and blankets, wheelchairs, and many other projects Western Sky Community Care is truly embracing our hyper-local role in the New Mexico community. 

I'm proud to work for an organization that's more than a Managed Care Organization.  We're a partner with our state and a partner with our practitioner community to serve the most fragile among us.  We exist to improve the health of our members through focused, compassionate, and coordinated care and believe that quality healthcare is delivered locally.  We're New Mexicans helping New Mexicans and I'm proud to serve here.