2007 Minnesota Statutes

256.963 PRIMARY CARE ACCESS INITIATIVE.
    Subdivision 1. Establishment. (a) The commissioner shall award a grant to implement in
Hennepin and Ramsey Counties a Web-based primary care access pilot project designed as a
collaboration between private and public sectors to connect, where appropriate, a patient with a
primary care medical home, and schedule patients into available community-based appointments
as an alternative to nonemergency use of the hospital emergency room. The grantee must establish
a program that diverts patients presenting at an emergency room for nonemergency care to more
appropriate outpatient settings. The program must refer the patient to an appropriate health care
professional based on the patient's health care needs and situation. The program must provide
the patient with a scheduled appointment that is timely, with an appropriate provider who is
conveniently located. If the patient is uninsured and potentially eligible for a Minnesota health
care program, the program must connect the patient to a primary care provider, community clinic,
or agency that can assist the patient with the application process. The program must also ensure
that discharged patients are connected with a community-based primary care provider and assist
in scheduling any necessary follow-up visits before the patient is discharged.
    (b) The program must not require a provider to pay a fee for accepting charity care patients
or patients enrolled in a Minnesota public health care program.
    Subd. 2. Evaluation. (a) The grantee must report to the commissioner on a quarterly basis
the following information:
    (1) the total number of appointments available for scheduling by specialty;
    (2) the average length of time between scheduling and actual appointment;
    (3) the total number of patients referred and whether the patient was insured or uninsured; and
    (4) the total number of appointments resulting in visits completed and number of patients
continuing services with the referring clinic.
    (b) The commissioner, in consultation with the Minnesota Hospital Association, shall
conduct an evaluation of the emergency room diversion pilot project and submit the results to
the legislature by January 15, 2009. The evaluation shall compare the number of nonemergency
visits and repeat visits to hospital emergency rooms for the period before the commencement
of the project and one year after the commencement, and an estimate of the costs saved from
any documented reductions.
History: 2007 c 147 art 5 s 3