Street medicine providers are growing in number across the United States. These providers take to the streets to deliver care and services to meet the unique needs of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness wherever they may live. While the evidence base for street medicine is growing, until recently most providers could not bill for these services, which can be intensive to deliver.
Effective October 1, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services now allows providers across the country to bill for street medicine services with a place of service code. Before this change, only a small number of state Medicaid programs reimbursed for health care services delivered “on-the-street,” including outdoors and in community settings.
While there are currently more than 150 street medicine programs across the country, this reimbursement policy change will help provide more sustainable funding to spur the growth of these programs. Many people served by street medicine programs are either enrolled in or eligible for Medicaid. States may explore Medicaid reimbursement for a range of provider types involved in street medicine, including federally qualified health centers, psychiatrists, peer support service providers, and dentists, among others.
Resources to Design or Enhance Street Medicine Programs
As opportunities to sustainably support street medicine expand, it is valuable to understand the emerging evidence and tools from the field for these programs. Stakeholders seeking to learn more about the evidence base and implementation tools for street medicine programs can explore the following Evidence-to-Action resource summaries:
- Street Medicine and Outreach: Bringing Care to People Where They Are – This report explores the range of street medicine services and shares best practices for both rural and urban communities interested in delivering this type of care.
- From the Hospital to the Streets: Bringing Care to the Unsheltered Homeless in Los Angeles – This case study examines how a street medicine program in California’s Los Angeles County provides transitional care after discharge, offering promising outcomes for follow-up rates and housing placement.
- Implementing the Street Psychiatry Model in New Haven, CT: Community-Based Care for People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness –This case study describes how a street psychiatry program in Connecticut provides mental health and addiction care for individuals who are homeless and unsheltered.
- HOUSED BEDS: A Clinical Tool for Taking a History on an Unsheltered Homeless Patient – This clinical tool captures essential information when interviewing people experiencing unsheltered homelessness to support the design of personalized treatment plans.
