Equity and Quality at Independent Practices in LA County

Launched in 2023, Equity and Quality at Independent Practices in LA County (EQuIP-LA) is a two-year improvement collaborative led by the California Quality Collaborative (CQC) dedicated to reducing disparities of care experienced by Medi-Cal enrollees of color.

EQuIP-LA is supporting participating organizations by:

• Building their capacity and that of community-based practice coaches to implement an equity-centered approach to quality improvement
• Incorporating patients’ lived experiences into the co-design of the collaborative’s curriculum
• Designing and implementing interventions to address disparities of care related to chronic disease management and preventative screening, focusing on diabetes, hypertension and colorectal cancer screening
• Advancing the practice capabilities necessary for delivering advanced primary care

Participating Organizations

Four organizations committed to advancing health equity are participating in EQuIP-LA, serving more than 41,000 Medi-Cal enrollees, including over 30,000 individuals of color across Los Angeles County:

• Allied Pacific IPA — network of medical professionals serving the San Gabriel Valley
• Angeles IPA — multi-specialty network serving communities across Los Angeles and Orange Counties
• LA. Care Direct Network — directly-contracted network of physicians with L.A. Care Health Plan
• Omnicare Medical Group — multi-specialty network providing quality health care to the citizens of Lynwood, Compton and surrounding communities

Technical Assistance and Impact

EQuIP-LA deploys a community-based coaching model — a scalable approach to build practice coach capacity within health care delivery organizations to help them deliver health equity-focused quality improvement interventions.

Comprehensive technical assistance provided to participants, includes:

• Direct Funding. Supporting infrastructure investments and projects to reduce health disparities for participating IPAs and their enrolled practices.
• Targeted Training. Utilizing evidence-based frameworks to support high-quality primary care, including the Model for Improvement and the 10 Building Blocks of Primary Care.
• Personalized Advising. Offering one-on-one needs assessment and improvement advising to define and implement IPA- and practice-specific quality improvement plans.
• Data Insights. Providing tools to support visualization and interpretation of performance data to identify improvement opportunities.
• Collaborative Learning. Facilitating regular opportunities to engage with peers from other organizations to share learnings and ideas.

Elevating Patients’ Lived Experiences

EQuIP-LA has prioritized patient involvement from its inception, utilizing insights from a virtual patient listening session to inform its strategies. The session, facilitated by CQC and PFCCpartners, allowed Medi-Cal enrollees to share their experiences, directly shaping the program’s focus on timely access and culturally competent care. This approach ensures that interventions are tailored to meet the true needs of the communities served.

The collaborative’s ongoing implementation is supported by a steering committee made up of program partners, participants and a patient representative.

Partners

EQuIP-LA’s technical assistance is led by CQC. Collaborative partners include the California Health Care Foundation, Community Partners, PFCCpartners, HealthBegins, Health Net and L.A. Care Health Plan.

Support

EQuIP-LA is made possible thanks to the generous support of the California Health Care Foundation.