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Safety Net
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>Safety Net
The Institute of Medicine defines the “health care safety net” as those providers that organize and deliver a significant level of health care and other related services to uninsured, Medicaid, and other vulnerable patients.[11] The core safety net providers have two distinguishing characteristics: 1) either by legal mandate or explicitly adopted mission, they maintain an “open door,” offering access to services for patients regardless of their ability to pay, and 2) a substantial share of their patient mix is uninsured, Medicaid, and other vulnerable patients.[11] The core safety net providers include public hospital systems; federal, state, and locally supported community health centers (CHCs) or clinics; local health departments; and special service providers (e.g., family planning clinics, school-based health programs, and Ryan White AIDS programs). In addition, a proportion of medical care is rendered as charity by established providers and practitioners.
