In 2017, the California Department of Health Care Services launched the Whole Person Care (WPC) pilot program. It is designed to address not just the physical health but also the behavioral health and social needs of Medi-Cal enrollees who require high-cost, complex care. The program was created under California’s Medicaid Section 1115 waiver, and it runs through December 31, 2020.

The California Health Care Foundation partnered with Intrepid Ascent, a health information technology consulting company, to understand the technological barriers, successes, and opportunities encountered by the WPC pilots as they have sought to coordinate care and share data in innovative ways. Catalyzing Coordination: Technology’s Role in Whole Person Care Pilots summarizes the findings and are based on a survey of all 25 WPC pilots and more than a dozen in-depth interviews.

Presenters and Topics

This webinar reviewed findings from the paper and featured on-the-ground perspectives from:

• Charis Baz, MPH, senior department analyst at Marin County Health and Human Services
• Emily Parmenter, MHA, program manager of CommunityConnect, Contra Costa County’s WPC pilot
• Mark Elson, PhD, and Keira Armstrong, MPH, of Intrepid Ascent served as moderators

Topics included:

• Technology models that support complex care coordination
• Data-sharing with new community partners
• Sustainability of infrastructure and relationships