In March 2015, Project Access Northwest began partnering with Swedish Emergency Services to launch Primary Link, a program for patients who need a primary care home. Primary Link will connect Apple Health (Medicaid) and uninsured emergency department patients to a primary care provider (PCP). The program will also work with patients who were seen at the Country Doctor Community Health Centers (CDCHC) After-Hours Clinic and do not have a primary care provider.

In March 2015, Project Access Northwest began partnering with Swedish Emergency Services to launch Primary Link, a program for patients who need a primary care home.

With Medicaid expansion in Washington state, more patients now have health insurance. However, many of them have not established a health care home and still use the emergency department for primary care needs. Project Access Northwest will be working with patients from all Swedish locations: First Hill, Cherry Hill, Ballard, Issaquah, Edmonds, Redmond and Mill Creek.

What is Primary Link?

Primary Link will connect Apple Health (Medicaid) and uninsured emergency department patients to a primary care provider (PCP). The program will also work with patients who were seen at the Country Doctor Community Health Centers (CDCHC) After-Hours Clinic and do not have a primary care provider.

Many times, patients want to be seen quickly to relieve pain or treat an infection, but these conditions don’t require an expensive trip to the emergency department. Primary Link and the After-Hours Clinic will help these patients establish a primary care home and get the right care in the right setting at the right time

(need photo above) The Country Doctor Community Health Centers After-Hours Clinic is open evenings and weekends, when other offices close.

Who is eligible for Primary Link?

Primary Link focuses on patients with Apple Health (Medicaid) and those who are uninsured. We work with patients who do not have a primary care provider or have never seen their primary care provider.

How does the Primary Link Work?

Project Access Northwest staff members call each patient referred from the Swedish Emergency Departments or CDCHC After-Hours Clinic within three days. Case managers work with the patient to schedule and confirm an appointment with a primary care provider.

The patients receive the following information from the Primary Link staff:

  • Confirmation of PCP appointment and other appointments/resources
  • Time/date/location of confirmed appointments
  • Transportation options
  • Information about the value of a primary care home and options to avoid the emergency department.

“We’re delighted to partner with Project Access Northwest,” said Mary Weiss, M.D., Swedish Medical Services Director for Primary Care Outreach and Community Health. “Helping patients find a primary care home regardless of income or insurance is an important part of improving the health of the whole community.”