The School Health Innovative Programs: integrating school health and managed care in San Diego

Managed care organizations (MCOs) are being recruited to support school health services delivered in school clinics. Schools without clinics already provide numerous health services and could provide more if they had support from managed care organizations. This article describes the first two years of a San Diego-based collaborative consisting of MCOs, school districts, and other health care agencies. By establishing trust, developing overriding principles, and creating an interagency communication infrastructure, this collaborative has encouraged shared management of many student health issues. Because the agreements apply to all schools, programs can reduce high rates of absenteeism district-wide and avoid unnecessary doctor appointments for common health problems. These collaborative agreements are designed to be financially self-sustaining. However, data collection, the logistics of obtaining parental consent, and getting health professionals to communicate with each other in new ways remain to be significant challenges.