Northern Oswego County Health Services, Inc.

Grant Status

In Progress

Project Title

Consolidating the Oswego Primary Care Safety Net

Award Amount

$400,000

Location

Oswego County, NY

Date Awarded

October 14, 2009

Oswego County faces the impending closure of several primary care practices, which will diminish primary care access for its residents, and will place additional stress on its local emergency departments. This project will consolidate the at-risk practices to be under the governance of Northern Oswego County Health Services, Inc. (NOCHSI), and consolidate the smaller practices into larger, comprehensive health centers in higher density population areas where the economies of scale can be realized.

Fundamentally, the extension of NOCHSI’s federally qualified health center-designation to these practices will support its long-term sustainability by providing access to higher reimbursement rates, no-cost malpractice coverage, and favorable pharmaceutical pricing. To accomplish these goals, NOCHSI will submit a change of scope request to the Federal government to add these sites to its governance and operation; Oswego County Opportunities will relinquish its primary care operations to NOCHSI; and Oswego Health will fold its small practices into larger comprehensive centers in key population areas. This consolidation will produce financial efficiencies and promote quality of care by implementing a common electronic health record system across the primary care practices.