“I hope to collaborate with IEHP for a very long time.”

-Dr. Charmaine Earle

Shiloh Medical Center

 

IEHP’s Global Quality Pay For Performance (GQP4P) program financially incentivizes providers to achieve quality care measures. Due in part to this initiative, Earle, MD, IEHP primary care physician and sole proprietor of Shiloh Medical Center in the High Desert community of Victorville, California, runs a thriving practice and fulfills the reason she got into medicine in the first place - to save lives.

 

The struggle is real.

 

Not long ago, Dr. Earle found herself in a real pickle. Wanting to help care for the underserved members in her community, she joined the IEHP provider network, yet was soon overwhelmed. 

 

“It was a lot of patients, all at the same time and with a myriad of problems,” she recalled. “A patient could come in with 10 issues, but we could only address five, so we’d have to bring them back. And we only had a finite amount of time and resources for scheduling, filling no-shows, tracking referrals and following up with patients.”

 

Logistics of care aside, Dr. Earle also faced a mountain of social drivers to her patients’ health. She explained how food insecurity and mental health created real challenges to care. 

 

“There’s just so many really sad and heavy things that happen in our community,” she said. “Many people feel they can’t afford the food they need or they’re still suffering from childhood abuse or trauma. You’re trying to help them with clinical issues, and they come in with all these social issues. It complicates things tremendously.”

 

To give her patients the quality care and attention they deserved, Dr. Earle needed to staff up. She needed more providers and skilled professionals to develop better systems of organization, communication and access to care. Of course, hiring and retaining staff was no easy feat. 

 

“We had a medical assistant turn down a job because McDonald’s was going to pay her more. It was shocking,” she said. “We have to stay competitive so that the people who have the heart for health care can stay in the industry and not go to retail or somewhere else.” 

 

THE SOLUTION

 

With the support of the IEHP GQP4P program, Dr. Earle was able to invest in the staffing she needed to provide her patients with the proper care. Dr. Earle now has a person in place for every aspect of care: scheduling, referrals, pharmacy, etc. She also has a system for tracking each quality care measure.

 

“We have pop-up reminders in the chart that will flag when things are due,” she explained. “IEHP has also been very kind in giving us our lists of things that are needed for patients, and we try to capture them at every visit. Even if they don’t have an appointment, we’re constantly calling patients and reminding them, you’re due for this, you’re due for that, pick up your order, etc.”

 

Once a week, Dr. Earle meets with her team to review charts, identify any patient issues and ensure everyone is on the same page. They create quick reference sheets and are always looking for ways to improve communication and/or their approach. This not only enhances care for the patient, but it brings peace of mind for everyone. 

 

“When you have that extra staff, you have the surety that the patient is taken care of,” explained Dr. Earle. “And at the same time, you don’t have to feel that expenses are going to be out of hand because IEHP does make sure you get paid for the work you’re doing. If your patient does well, you’re going to be incentivized for that. And yes, we want the patient to do well.”

 

REAL-LIFE RESULTS

 

When it comes down to it, all this talk about quality measures translates to real people getting the care they need – people like Ethel C., who was being treated for diabetes, yet was consistently reminded to get her mammogram. When she finally did, she discovered she had stage 4 cancer. 

 

Ethel credits Dr. Earle for saving her life.

 

“Dr. Earle was not only a doctor to me, but she was also a friend, a healer. She cared and because of all the things she put together so quickly for me, I’m alive today. She gives a quality of life to people, and I needed that quality of life,” expressed Ethel, tearing up.

 

Ethel’s story is only one example of many. Because Dr.  Earle makes it a point to educate her patients on the importance of cancer screenings and prevention, she has numerous stories of patients who experienced no symptoms but found cancer. 

 

“We have a story of a strapping bodybuilder who never saw the need for a colonoscopy,” Dr. Earle recalled. “But I just wore him down. He got tired of me asking him. And lo and behold, he had colon cancer. It was removed, taken care of and he’s alive and doing well today.”

 

MISSIONS ALIGNED

 

Dr. Earle is grateful to have a partner like IEHP. While taking on the extra patients required a lot of hard work and innovative thinking, she felt fully supported in her mission – a North Star she’s had since childhood.

 

Born and raised in Jamaica as the daughter of a pastor, Dr. Earle grew up with a love for people, a passion for teaching and a connection to nature. Her fascination with biology created a natural path for her to pursue medicine.  

 

With a firm belief in treating a person’s whole health, Dr. Earle plans to further pursue her passion for teaching by educating patients, training staff and mentoring young providers on how to run a successful practice. Of course, she knows IEHP will be there to heal and inspire. 

 

“I hope to collaborate with IEHP for a long time,” she said. “I love the fact that IEHP has been a leading organization in whole health care. I have truly enjoyed seeing our practice grow, seeing our reimbursements increase and seeing patients’ quality of life improve – all while achieving the goals that got us into medicine in the first place.”