The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of broadband internet access and its emergence as a key factor in the social determinants of health discussion. Internet access is critical in today’s digital society, linking many to essential resources such as jobs, school, health care, food, and transportation, among other socioeconomics needs. The “digital divide” can be defined as the gap between those who have access to digital technologies and the literacy to operate them, and those who don’t. In healthcare, the digital divide can lead to disparities in patient portal adoption, telehealth access, or ability to utilize other patient-facing software.

We will be sharing a toolkit developed by our Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN), which includes best practices for bridging the digital divide to support the patients our health centers serve. We will talk about equipment and service assessments and share resources for discounted or free broadband internet and technological devices. We will also discuss digital training resources you can refer patients to, as well as strategies for engaging patients affected by the digital divide on utilizing the Patient Portal, Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) devices, and telehealth.

After this training, participants will:

• Understand how broadband internet access is defined as a social determinant of health, an issue that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront.
• Learn how to identify patients who are affected by the digital divide.
• Find out about free and discounted resources for devices and broadband internet distribution throughout LA County and the state of California.
• Discover how some health centers assist patients, who do not have access to devices or broadband internet, utilize the Patient Portal, RPM and telehealth services.

Presented by Rachel Proud, Associate Director of Practice Transformation Services, California Physician Services Organization, California Medical Association 

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Complimentary for CCALAC Members

Instructor Biography:

Rachel Proud, Associate Director of Practice Transformation Services with California Physician Services Organization, California Medical Association has over nine years of experience working with community health centers, private practices, and hospitals to improve patient experience, clinical quality measures, and operational efficiency. As an Associate Director of Practice Transformation Services, Rachel supports the team in meeting client goals and objectives. She is responsible for multiple ongoing projects and is a legislative and health policy subject matter expert. Rachel has expansive field experience, working with over 30 different health centers and small practices in Los Angeles County. She has a strong track record of achieving quality improvement, utilization management, and transformational results for the organizations she has supported. She also leads efforts to optimize EHR use and data reporting, engage patients and families, optimize transitions to community care settings after acute hospitalization, increase frequency of medication reconciliation, and improve patient medication education and management in all care settings.