LAC+USC Healthcare Network

Camino de Salud Network

In today’s fragmented system of care, uninsured and underinsured patients are often forced to rely on the emergency room for primary care, placing a heavy burden on hospitals and compromising patient care. The Los Angeles County + University of Southern California, the region’s safety net provider, is engaged in a collaborative partnership (Camino de Salud Network) to address this problem by providing individualized care management to high utilizers of hospital services. The Network’s care management program provides enrolled patients with a dedicated care manager and links them to a primary care home. To date, the program has demonstrated a 40% decrease in emergency department visits and a 63% decrease in inpatient days for actively care managed patients. Following its success, the program is being expanded and replicated in other California counties.