Overview
This handbook provides a detailed framework for measuring the performance of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs), which integrate legal services into health care settings to address legal problems that can affect health. It is designed to help organizations evaluate how well their MLP is operating and identify opportunities for quality improvement.
What the Resource Covers
The handbook describes seven performance measures developed specifically for medical-legal partnerships. The measures address staff training, screening for health-harming legal needs, response to identified needs, referrals to legal services, types of legal needs addressed, financial benefits received by patients, and financial benefits to health care partners. MLP services are defined within the “I-HELP” categories of: Income & Insurance, Housing & Utilities, Education & Employment, Legal Status, and Personal & Family Stability. For each measure, the handbook provides definitions, guidance on data collection and reporting, and information about how the measure can be used to assess program performance.
Key Takeaways for Implementation
Medical-legal partnerships benefit from clearly defined measures that track both program activities and outcomes. The handbook gives organizations a structured way to monitor whether patients are being identified and connected with legal assistance and to demonstrate the value of the partnership to health care and legal partners.
Who May Find This Resource Useful
This resource may be especially useful for health systems, health centers, legal aid organizations, and other partners seeking detailed guidance for implementing, monitoring, or evaluating a medical-legal partnership.
Resource Type: Tools & Toolkits.
Topic Areas: Medical-legal partnerships, screening, referrals, performance measurement, program evaluation.
Population or Setting: Health care organizations and legal services partners.
Publication Date: April 2016.
Source: National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership at The George Washington University.
