A Medical Financial Partnership in a Pediatric Medical Home.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Social Work

Background:

• The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax preparation services to maximize tax refunds and alleviate poverty.
• Pediatric medical homes (PMH) present a unique setting for integrating financial services, fostering medical-financial partnerships.
• Underutilization of VITA services suggests a gap in awareness and accessibility among vulnerable populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding VITA services embedded within a PMH.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a PMH-VITA site as a convenient and trusted intervention.
• To identify barriers to VITA utilization and inform strategies for improved marketing and outreach.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to caregivers of children utilizing a PMH with an embedded VITA site.
• Data collected included awareness of VITA services, perceived usefulness, and past/intended use of tax preparation assistance.
• Analysis focused on caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning the integrated VITA service.

Main Results:

• The PMH-VITA site was perceived as convenient, trusted, and useful by participating caregivers.
• A significant portion of caregivers who did not use the service were unaware of its availability.
• Caregivers unaware of the service expressed willingness to use it in the future, indicating potential for increased utilization.

Conclusions:

• Integrating VITA services into PMHs can be an effective strategy for connecting low-income families with valuable financial resources.
• Improved marketing and outreach efforts are crucial to increase awareness and utilization of VITA services within the target population.
• Medical-financial partnerships through PMH-VITA sites show promise in addressing poverty by maximizing tax refunds.