Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP
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J Public Health Manag Pract · Jul 2012
The health law partnership: adding a lawyer to the health care team reduces system costs and improves provider satisfaction.
Addressing the legal issues of patients of low socioeconomic status can be useful in increasing organizational reimbursements, reducing costs and improving access to care. Medical-legal partnership is an addition to the health care armamentarium that directly addresses this goal. ⋯ The Health Law Partnership is one such medical legal partnership that provides a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to health care. An evaluation of the legal and educational services provided by Health Law Partnership showed that Health Law Partnership secured otherwise unreimbursed Medicaid payments for services over a 4-year period from 2006 to 2010, increased physician satisfaction, and saved hospital employers approximately $10 000 in continuing education costs annually.