As part of our work as a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP), the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership published a Case Study recently that provides the health center community with information and resources to set up electronic referrals in the EHR. The case study can be used both by health centers new to MLP who want help with the initial planning process and by health centers that are already actively providing legal services but want help facilitating continuous quality improvement conversations.
Specifically, the Case Study provides a concrete example of how a medical-legal partnership (MLP) in Iowa set up electronic referrals in the EHR as well as the ability to “Close the Loop” via electronic updates from the legal partner. Those updates are delivered directly to the EHR and describe whether the patient is connected with legal assistance and the legal outcomes of that assistance.