HealthLinc uses Phreesia to address SDOH at scale

The problem

As an FQHC, HealthLinc is required to meet specific quality benchmarks to secure government funding, including social determinants of health (SDOH) tracking.

But like most FHQCs, HealthLinc has limited resources—and its community health workers were overwhelmed by the volume of patients who screened positive for social needs.

“We wanted every member of our care team to know how much assistance each patient needs,” says CEO Melissa Mitchell. “We needed smart resources, and we needed to equip our staff with the right tools.”

The solution

In partnership with Phreesia, HealthLinc implemented the Patient Activation Measure® (PAM®)—an evidence-based assessment tool. PAM scores patients on a 0-100 scale that reflects their ability to take an active role in their health.

By integrating PAM into its SDOH workflows, HealthLinc was able to automatically connect highly activated patients with self-service resources and allocate its community health workers to patients who required more personalized support.

The Phreesia difference

Within just two months, HealthLinc’s community health workers saw a 43% reduction in time spent on direct patient intervention—all by using Phreesia to determine the right approach for each patient.

“Once we know a patient’s PAM score, we can determine who on our care team to engage based on how much help that patient needs,” Mitchell says.

The FQHC quickly scaled the solution to six of its clinics. It will be implemented at all other HealthLinc sites soon.

“PAM helps us deliver the right care to the people who need it most,” Mitchell says. “If you want to make a difference in the outcomes of your patients, PAM is something you should look at.”