Williamsburg Regional Hospital Celebrates 100% Enrollment in Program Helping the Uninsured

SC Hospitals partner with primary care groups to improve health outcomes for frequent ER users

Columbia, SC – In honor of Williamsburg Regional Hospital’s successful enrollment efforts for their Healthy Outcomes Plan (HOP), the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) and Senator J. Yancey McGill are hosting, today, a celebration recognizing the hospital as the first in South Carolina to enroll 100 percent of their program’s target population.

Healthy Outcomes Williamsburg is one of 46 plans submitted by South Carolina Medicaid-designated hospitals targeting more than 8,500 chronically ill, uninsured, high utilizers of emergency department services as part of SCDHHS’ HOP initiative.

Speakers Sharon Poston, chief executive officer of Williamsburg Regional Hospital; Bambi Floyd, chief nursing officer of Williamsburg Regional Hospital and clinical lead for the program; Dr. Troy Gamble, chief medical officer of Williamsburg Regional Hospital and chief medical officer at Williamsburg Regional Hospital Health Center, the rural health clinic partnering with the hospital; Dr. Dorn Smith, chief surgical officer of Williamsburg Regional Hospital; Senator J. Yancey McGill; and Tony Keck, director of SCDHHS will address attendees on the importance of this initiative and answer questions on the Healthy Outcomes Williamsburg program and the HOP initiative. Two program participants will also describe the immediate impact this program has already had on their lives.

“We are excited to host this celebration to recognize Williamsburg Regional Hospital’s accomplishment in the successful implementation of their Healthy Outcomes Plan and share their successful strategies in continuing their mission to improve the health of the chronically-ill, uninsured residents of Williamsburg County,” said Tony Keck, director of SCDHHS. “These plans are key in changing how we deliver health care to some of our most vulnerable citizens by making hospitals the center of a community collaboration that will offer the necessary resources to help people live healthier while reducing overall medical costs.”

HOPs are community-based plans to invest in hotspots of poor health, reduce per capita costs and improve health outcomes. Partnering with Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, free clinics and other health safety net providers serving the uninsured, hospitals created or expanded models to improve the value and quality of health care in South Carolina.

“The General Assembly is focused on improving the health of South Carolinians using state-based leadership and solutions,” said Senator Yancey McGill. “We are proud to support programs like HOP, that provide flexibility for South Carolina hospitals and providers to develop strategies to deliver more comprehensive and cost-effective health services tailored to those in their community that need it the most.”

Healthy Outcomes Williamsburg focuses on providing a medical home and plan of coordinated care for patients with asthma, COPD, hypertension, diabetes and/or a behavioral health condition that frequent the hospital ER for treatment. This small, rural hospital was able to enroll all 50 people in their target population in just over three months and already has 75 percent of these participants in a care plan. Much of the early success of the program is attributed to the involvement of ER nurses who conducted screenings on patients before they left the ER, the use of a nurse practitioner as a clinical lead who could provide screenings and set appointments for the patients to meet with her and a flexible staff who was comfortable in fulfilling many roles.

“The Healthy Outcomes Initiative was put into motion as a method to develop medical homes for patients who have had little or no medical insurance and have had to rely on emergency room visits to manage their illnesses. An ER is not designed to manage chronic disease conditions – the ER is for emergencies,” said Sharon Poston, Williamsburg Regional Hospital chief executive officer. “With Healthy Outcomes Williamsburg, our chief nursing officer, Bambi Floyd, and her team have been able to develop a medical home for these patients where they are seen by providers who manage chronic disease states. Without this brain-child of SCDHHS, these patients would still be seeking disease management from ERs. This is a giant step in the right direction.”

For more information on the Healthy Outcomes Plan program, visit https://msp.scdhhs.gov/proviso/site-page/hospital-clinic-innovations.

About the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services provides health care benefits to more than one million South Carolinians. Its mission is to purchase the most health for our citizens in need at the least possible cost to the taxpayer.

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