As healthcare providers better understand how the social determinants of health impact health outcomes, they look to partner with community-based providers. As partnerships have formed between healthcare providers and community service organizations, two referral partnership models have emerged: the care directory and the care network. Both models seek to improve access to community and healthcare services, but they employ different approaches to achieve the goal. This white paper describes the two partnership models and examines the advantages and disadvantages of each.

1. Optimizing
Referrals Across
Community
Services and
Healthcare
Providers

2. Improving Health Outcomes
Through Non-Medical Care
Food, housing, transportation, and
employment—the social
determinants of health—have a
significant impact on patient health.
For the 5% of people responsible for
50% of US healthcare costs, the social
determinants of health are often
major factors.

3. Partnering for Patient Health
Healthcare networks are partnering
with community services providers
to directly address social
determinants of health as a
component of delivering whole
patient care. When you treat
symptoms, you're just reacting to
crises, but when you treat the
whole person, addressing the SDH,
you treat *them* and resolve the
underlying problems
WHOLE PATIENT CARE
Social Determinants
of Health
Community ServicesHealthcare Network

4. Referral Networks Help
Patients Find Care
Referral networks have cropped up to assist
patients in locating providers who address their
medical, behavioral health, or social
determinant of health needs
Using a referral network, patients can search for
providers who speak their language, have a
nearby location, or who are open during
extended hours.

5. The Care Directory and the Care Network
Referral networks can be grouped into two types:
Each referral network model has the aim of helping patients more easily
obtain needed care, but use different approaches to obtain this objective.
CARE DIRECTORY CARE NETWORK

6. The Open
Directory:
Optimized for
Easy Search
The Open Directory includes a
basic listing free of charge to
encourage all providers to appear
in the directory. The Open
Directory is optimized for rapid
search and filtering of search
results. Often the Open Directory
can be searched anonymously,
without creating a user account.
PATIENT ONLINE DIRECTORY
A main disadvantage of the Open Directory model is the lack of
care collaboration for providers. The Open Directory provides
patient referrals, but does not coordinate care among multiple
providers across the network, nor does it include communication
tools for providers.

7. The Closed
Directory:
Optimized for
provider-to-provider
referrals
The closed directory overcomes some
of the limitations of the open directory
by creating a smaller, closed directory
of providers. All providers in the
directory agree to participate (there are
no default listings) and to refer patients
to one another.
PATIENT HEALTHCARE PROVIDER
Patients seeking a provider can search the directory to locate a
provider, or providers can refer patients to other providers across
the directory. This is an advantage of the closed directory over
the open directory. Referrals often consist of a healthcare provid-
er referring a patient to community services, or vice versa.

8. The Closed Directory
Still Lacks True Care
Coordination
A Closed Directory provides clear
benefits. But without a collaborative
approach among all providers
engaged in caring for a patient, a
Closed Directory can only take you so
far. True care coordination is best
achieved when you have a care
coordination platform that fosters
collaboration among all providers
engaged in caring for a patient.

9. The Care
Network:
Optimized for
Coordinated Care
The Open and Closed directory models
emphasize referring patients to care, but
provide little coordination after the
patient is referred. The Care Network
facilitates both patient referrals and
coordinating patient care among all
providers after the referral.
PATIENT
HEALTHCARE
PROVIDER

10. A System For All
Specialties
Closed Directories are often built
around the medical EHR. While EHRs
are well-suited for healthcare
providers, they are often difficult to
use and lack features necessary for
non-medical care providers. The Care
Network uses a care coordination
platform suitable for use by medical,
behavioral health, and
community-based providers.

11. Collaborative Care
The care coordination system facilitates collaborative care through the use of
tools such as a shared care plan, direct provider-to-provider communication,
and engagement of an expanded care team (such as family caregivers or
home health aides).

12. Care NetworkCare Directory vs.
Online search for providers
Filter search results to match
patient needs
Patients can self-refer to a
provider
Provider-to-provider referrals
(limited)
Online search for providers
Filter search results to match
patient needs
Patients can self-refer to a
provider
Provider-to-provider referrals (all
providers)
Case collaboration
Shared care plans
Provider-to-provider
communication
Expanded care networks

13. Click to Download the White Paper
ClientTrack Care
Coordination
The ClientTrack Community Care
Coordination Platform helps
community and healthcare providers
connect, communicate, and
collaborate on patient care. Numerous
communities have improved care
delivery and delivered better patient
outcomes through use of this
sophisticated care coordination
platform.
To learn more about how ClientTrack
can give you the tools you need to
engage in true care coordination,
download our white paper, Optimizing
Referrals across Community Services
and Healthcare Providers.
www.eccoviasolutions.com