GNYHA’s Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Learning Series continued with a recent webinar on the New York State Department of Health’s (DOH) medical respite certification program. Medical respite is a service that offers temporary housing and medical care to individuals experiencing homelessness who are ill but do not require inpatient hospitalization. It has been shown to improve patient outcomes, lower hospital readmissions, and shorten hospital stays. Medical respite providers Comunilife and the Institute for Community Living (ICL) also presented during the webinar.
DOH’s Emily Engel, Director of the Bureau of Social Care and Community Supports, and Claire Vancik, Health Program Administrator, described DOH’s medical respite certification program, including patient eligibility, core services, and physical site requirements. Medical respite is reimbursable under New York State’s Section 1115 Medicaid waiver when provided by a certified medical respite provider to patients with an identified unmet housing need.
Representatives from Comunilife and ICL reviewed their organizations’ medical respite programs, which provide meals, transportation, health management, care coordination, and case management services after a patient is referred by a hospital. Both organizations included patient outcomes and testimonies to highlight the impact of medical respite on health outcomes.