title: Project Access-New Haven: improving access to specialty care for patients without insurance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Poor access to specialty care among uninsured adults threatens the delivery of quality health care and may contribute to the misuse and overuse of emergency departments and hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  We sought to improve access to specialty care through a program called Project Access-New Haven (PA-NH),which engages specialty physicians and hospitals to volunteer in a coordinated-care model for the uninsured. Patient navigators guide patients through the health-care network and help to alleviate administrative obstacles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Project Access-New Haven has been operational since August 2010. With >200 specialty physicians volunteering and strong commitments from local hospitals, comprehensive specialty care has been provided to 78 patients. Average wait-time for appointments is 17 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PA-NH provides timely medical care and patient navigation foruninsured patientswith specialty-care needs. In the process, more physicians are participating in the care of vulnerable populations. Further data are needed to assess the potential cost-savings of PA-NH.
authors.affiliation: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Yale University School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: Erica S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Spatz
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Phipps
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lagarde
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Borgstrom
authors.forename: Ashley E Lewis
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Oliver J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Marjorie S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003237:Connecticut; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006782:Hospitals, Special; D006801:Humans; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D010820:Physicians; D013038:Specialization; D014838:Volunteers / Q000458:organization & administration