Livio Health Group takes a holistic approach to treating aches and pains. In addition to employing board-certified providers and medical assistants, the company uses community health workers to investigate some of their patients’ underlying challenges.
Started in 2015, Livio provides onsite services that help remove barriers to accessing care. The company evaluates and treats chronic conditions, illnesses and injuries, while also providing preventive care and prescriptions.
“This patient-focused care model achieves that by providing the medically underserved with faster patient care, which often reduces or eliminates ER and hospital visits, and ultimately leads to better patient outcomes,” Jim Olson, president of Livio Care Group, said in a company press release in 2016.
Livio also believes better patient outcomes can be achieved when they help uncover the underlying issues behind illnesses.
“A big hurdle we have is basically social issues. But, to help with our social issues, we have a team of community health workers and they can assist us in a lot of areas in housing, maybe helping people get their bills paid, paying for their medication, stuff like that,” said Donny Dunrow, a nurse practitioner of Livio Care Group.
Livio Health community health workers (CHWs) look to treat the whole person by giving patients with a lack of support some of the resources they need. CHWs build trusting relationships with patients, help identify obstacles to health and access to care, and advocate for patients. Importantly, they also help patients learn to advocate for themselves.
“Community Health Workers go in and help mediate the social shortcomings that people have,” said Dunrow.
In using such an approach, Livio has flipped traditional health care on its head, going beyond single encounters to treat the whole person. They’ve committed to doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes to change the system and provide the expertise, understanding and care people deserve.
