Feature Story

January 15, 2010

Post-Katrina New Orleans safety-net clinic patients report more efficient, affordable health care

From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:

A new Commonwealth Fund survey of safety-net clinic patients in New Orleans finds that, despite being disproportionately low-income and uninsured, these patients had fewer problems affording care and fewer instances of medical debt and inefficient care than most U.S. adults. In fact, the report, Coming Out of Crisis: Patient Experiences In Primary Care In New Orleans, Four Years Post Katrina, finds that, among the clinic patients surveyed, only 27 percent went without needed health care because of cost, compared with 41 percent of adults across the country.

According to the authors, this shows that the post-Katrina primary care pilot program—a system that relies primarily on a large network of local clinics funded by federal and local government, and given financial incentives to improve care—could serve as a national model for providing primary care to vulnerable groups.

"The health care safety net in New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but that also presented an opportunity to build something new from the ground up," said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. "It's exciting to see the impact that a real focus on primary care can have on the health of this vulnerable population. I hope that the lessons learned in New Orleans will be considered as we seek ways to provide high quality, affordable health care for more Americans."

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