CCALAC’s 2018 Network Adequacy Report
Fulfilling the Mission—An Assessment of Ambulatory Care in LA County
This report evaluates the adequacy of the safety net in serving its target population following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010. Los Angeles community clinics and health centers play a vital role in providing access to comprehensive healthcare services to uninsured, underinsured, and low-income populations. The health care arena continues to experience immense transformation and has seen substantial financial contributions and policy changes in the ACA era over the past decade.
The Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC) last released an assessment of its membership, their services, and the remaining unmet need in LA County in 2012, entitled Uncharted Territory: Mapping the Unmet Needs of LA’s Underserved. That report provided a snapshot of clinics and the landscape prior to California’s implementation of the ACA, and informed investments in the network of community health centers in LA. CCALAC conducts an analysis approximately every five years.
Remarkable changes have occurred in LA’s safety net landscape since the 2012 report was released. The Medi-Cal program expanded to serve more than 430,000 additional patients; the county launched the My Health LA program, which enrolled over 146,000 individuals; and both the public and private sectors collaborated to expand and improve access to primary care, mental health, and substance use services. CCALAC continues to convene primary stakeholders in discussions regarding the role of health centers in accelerating care transformation and quality initiatives.
In an effort to capture the full scope of LA’s safety net care delivery system, CCALAC, in partnership with Health Management Associates (HMA) and with support from L.A. Care Health Plan, prepared this landscape analysis to provide insight to clinics, partners, and stakeholders to inform considerations about where to expand operations, where to strengthen partnerships with other entities, and how LA County service providers can create a more integrated system of care. It evaluates clinic services as well as entities either directly operated by, or contracted with the County Departments of Health Services, Public Health, and Mental Health.
With 64 member clinics serving 1.6 million patients per year, CCALAC provides this information with the aim that it will be used as a helpful tool for decision-making by LA’s clinics and partners.