CAMARILLO — “It is my hope that the health care community in Ventura County and elected officials will recognize that Clinicas del Camino Real (CDCR) is firmly committed to providing the highest quality medical care to every single patient we serve” responded Mr. Roberto S. Juarez, CEO of Clinicas del Camino Real to being awarded four Quality Improvement Awards (QIA) by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
According to the HRSA press announcement (attached), “The QIA support HRSA’s strategic goal to improve access to quality health care and services, and supports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s goal of promoting a value-based payment system improving the quality, breadth of services, modernization, efficiency, and overall value of primary health care delivered by health centers. Specifically, CDCR was recognized for Health Center Quality Leaders —achieved the best overall clinical performance among all health centers and achieved Gold (top 10%), Silver (top 11-20%), Bronze(top 21-30%) for clinical quality measures for 2018, Clinical Quality Improvers — demonstrated at least 15% improvement on a clinic quality measure from 2017 to 2018, Advancing Health Information Technology (HIT) for Quality Awards — recognize health centers that utilized five HIT services and/or telehealth services to increase access to care and advance quality of care between 2017 and 2018, and Patient Centered Medical Home Recognition — recognize health centers with patient centered medical home (PCMH) recognition in one or more delivery sites.
Juarez expressed his frustration that over the last three years, if not longer, media coverage and comments by health care officials in Ventura County have implied that the issues he has raised about the need to improve access and quality of care for all residents of Ventura County, has been intentionally misrepresented as being about expanding Clinicas’ “turf”. He stated, “These awards speak to an objective assessment of the comprehensive commitment we have to providing the highest quality of care we can to the patients we have served for more than 48 years. Contrary to the comments made by some county health representatives and state elected officials, the record of our performance has been well documented by these awards and the results of work. We are only guilty of seeking the highest standards of medical care through a responsible fiscal model.”
Another key indicator and report (attached) on how well community health centers in the nation have improved and are performing at levels higher than other provider networks was issued August 20, 2019 by the Commonwealth Fund entitled Changes at Community Health Centers, and How Patients are Benefiting: Results from the Commonwealth Fund National Survey of Federally Qualified Health Centers, 2013-2018”. This report highlights that community health centers from 2013 to 2018 have significantly improved their access to care in terms of offering same-or next-day appointments, bilingual staff and access to telephone interpreters, the use of technology (electronic records are utilized in 99% of all community health centers in the nation) for increasing their levels of quality of medical care provided and efficiency of physicians productivity, and instituting innovative models of care which is measured by health centers recognized as patient-centered medical homes.
Clinicas Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Gagan Pawar, who also serves on the Gold Coast Health Plan Commission, expressed “We are very proud that we continue to make very important strides in improving our performance indicators and providing the highest quality of care to our patient community. This has always been the focus of our system and drives all aspects of our operation. Juarez added., “I thank the excellent and committed staff that are the backbone of the recognition we have received from the federal government for many years. We are always looking to be a very cost-effective health care network that does not compromise the quality of medical care we provide. Perhaps some elected officials at the county and state level representing Ventura County will come to understand that health care is a priority to their constituents and Clinicas continues to be recognize concretely for the care we try and offer to each and every patient that comes to our clinics.”