CASE STUDY THURSDAY: INSTITUTE FOR FAMILY HEALTH September 26, 2024

Cornerstone Services, Inc. (“CRST”) works with several statewide healthcare providers such as hospitals and even independent physicians to ensure compliance with New York State’s New York Patient Health Information and Quality Improvement Act Public Health Law 2995, or simply “PHL §2995”) which requires practices to notify patients of a material change in the primary provider’s status with the firm or practice.

The Institute for Family is a solid example of going above and beyond the letter of the law, striving for excellence not only in its strict compliance with PHL 2995 but also in ensuring that its patients receive timely notifications in multiple languages of primary physician status changes.

As a matter of background, NYS PHL 2995 established a public Physician Profile applicable to all practicing physicians in New York State. This resource was part of a consumer advocacy initiative by the State to have a “one-stop” source/resource for current and background information, as received by the NYS Department of Health. Many states have either laws, regulations or even just general guidance (which often aligns with best practices and recommended guidelines offered by American Medical Association or AMA). Of course, to ensure information accuracy so that this statewide database is correct and up-to-date, medical practices, hospitals, and similar independent practionners are required to notify, in writing to each patient, when the patient’s primary heatlhcare provider or doctor leaves the practice.

Under NYS PHL 2995:

• The medical practice is required to notify the patient of their physician’s departure;
• The notification must include information on how the patient can obtain their medical records and whether the departing physician will continue practicing elsewhere; and,
• It must also inform patients of their right to choose another physician or continue care with the practice.

This legislation aims to ensure continuity of care and transparency between healthcare providers and patients. Cornerstone’s role is to assist with the following client support in compliance with these state guidelines:

• Secure receipt of data via secure transfer (such as Barracuda networks) in line with HIPAA regulations and protocols for data handling;
• Cosmetic formatting of received text/copy either from the practice or physician directly (including, for example, a scanned signature from the departing provider if requested);
• Confirmation of language flags in the received data (often just Spanish and English versions);
• Letter & envelope printing, name-address mail-merging (as/where requested) and letter-rate mailing (at non-profit, commercial bulk or First-Class postage rates);
• Attainment of discounted postage (which can be as low as $.15 per letter with a minimum of 200ct letters); and,
• Secure paper shredding of unmailed or misprinted materials (including the routine destruction of legacy patient files).

In the distant past, it was often sufficient and acceptable simply to post such notices in the local newspapers. However, with the decline of newspaper readership, rise of the internet and the increased cacophony of so many media channels, legacy and indirect notifications have become less effective to the general public. Direct mail has become an effective means of patient notification.

Cornerstone uses rehearsed SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) including the firmwide use of a project management model that ensures onsite discipline for each dentist, doctor or caregiver leave letter handled. Using Asana.com software, CRST operates using a templated approach so that the Institute for Family Health may continue to focus on excellence in patient care and let such recipient communications be handled uneventfully and reliably.