Primary Care: Community Health Services Network
Focusing on expanding reach and improving access for children in the community
The Primary Care program works to ensure all children seeking care will have access to care, close to home, with the appropriate level of care when they need it. Aligned with the regional growth and population health strategies, Community Health Services Network (CHSN) continues to add primary care practices within our region. Currently, CHSN has 15 locations, which includes three school-based health centers. The strategic goals for Primary Care are listed below.
Key Highlights
CHSN was focused on moving forward stronger than ever this year. This year, CHSN:
- Focused on clinical standards through team unification, aligning with Cincinnati Children's standards, analyzing quality excellence domains and addressing gaps across the network
- Achieved growth through the opening of two new Ohio practices in Wilmington and Centerville, as well as the integration of school-based health centers into CHSN's broader network
- Centered continuous improvement through structure and accountability mechanisms, as well as quality improvement initiatives to improve aspects of care
- Received several Patient Family Experience awards, including Top Primary Care Provider (Dr. Gretchen Hartz), 2024 Top Large Nursing Unit and All-Star MA Award (Sheila Stegall)
Growth and Expansion
CHSN has experienced significant growth in the past year, with plans to expand with new locations in 2025.
Active Patients across
CHSN Locations
Patient Family Experience
The voices of patients and families are the heartbeat of our organization. After patients visit our sites, they are encouraged to fill out a "Patient Family Experience" survey, which helps us learn from their experience to improve and deliver the care they deserve. CHSN's patient family experience rating ultimately has experienced a positive shift, showcasing our commitment to delivering the best possible care and support for patients and their families.
Strategic Plan Delivery Achievements
Increased access through:
- Mason, OH site extended hours
- Pilots for embedded community health workers, social workers and integrated psychiatry
- Telehealth piloted at Anderson, OH site and expanded network-wide
- Adjacent specialty clinic launched at Union, KY primary care site
- Patient panels redistributed with sustainable improvement plans underway
Addressed staff well-being through:
- Psychological safety training
- Enhanced efficiency via technology implementation (e.g., DAX AI charting tool, express lanes)
- Task force to investigate and increase staff satisfaction
Eliminated harm through:
- Safety reporting transparency
- Epic reporting workbench on care gaps
- Medication barcode scanning implemented at all sites
Improved patient and family experience through:
- Real-time service recovery standards guidelines, with proactive follow-up within one to two days
- Improved accountability and coaching with performance transparency
Looking Forward
In 2025, CHSN is focusing on:
- Improvement and enhancing access, quality and the patient and staff experience
- Growth of the network with new practice locations and specialty care clinics
- Piloting extended hours and after-hours nurse triage