Frequently Asked Questions

A medical-legal partnership integrates legal services and expertise into a healthcare setting to help healthcare providers and systems address the root causes of poor health outcomes.

At medical-legal partnerships, lawyers become an important part of the healthcare workforce, embedding in various care settings just like any other specialist. When some of the most complex and intractable problems—like an illegal eviction—are detected, clinical staff can refer patients directly for legal services. And like other members of the healthcare team, legal staff are available to consult with clinical and non-clinical staff about system and policy barriers to care. A number of these partnerships go further, leveraging their considerable knowledge and expertise to advance local and state policies that lead to safer and healthier environments. Learn more.

The health care system is increasingly working to combat the social factors that contribute to poor health. As a result, patient navigators, social workers, and others have become fixtures on the health care team. However, many complex health-harming social problems are entrenched in federal, state, and local policies and laws that require expertise in poverty law and administrative law. Attorneys in general—and poverty lawyers in particular—have an in-depth understanding of relevant policies, laws, and systems. They seek out solutions at the individual and policy levels to a range of health-related social and legal needs, and are uniquely qualified to help the health care system disrupt the cycle of returning people to the unhealthy conditions that would otherwise bring them right back to the clinic or hospital.

At medical-legal partnerships (MLPs), a “lawyer in residence” works on-site in the health care setting, not only providing legal services to patients, but also participating in clinical meetings and providing trainings to health care clinicians and staff. MLPs establish formal processes to screen patients’ health-related social and legal needs, share data between health care and legal partners, communicate about patient-clients, and jointly set service and evaluation priorities that reflect their shared mission. There is also a formal agreement between the health and legal organizations. 

The medical-legal partnership approach can be adapted in a variety of settings. Medical-legal partnerships currently operate in 500 health care organizations, including HRSA-funded health centers, major health systems, children’s hospitals, VA medical centers, and an increasing number of institutions that serve the elderly.

Medical-legal partnerships receive funding from a variety of sources listed below. Critically, more than one-third of medical-legal partnership programs receive some of their funding from their health care organization’s operations budget.

HEALTH COMMUNITY FUNDING SOURCES

• Operational revenue, including community benefit strategies

• Federal, state, and local health and public health funding and appropriations (e.g. Section 330 of Public Health Services Act, chronic disease management programs, innovation and prevention funds)

• Academic research grants

• Medicaid managed care contracts and other value-based payment arrangements

• Insurers

LEGAL COMMUNITY FUNDING SOURCES

• Federal and state legal aid appropriations and contracts (e.g. Legal Services Corporation, Administration on Aging)

• Public interest legal fellowships (e.g. Equal Justice Works, Skadden, AmeriCorps)

• Law school collaborations

PRIVATE & CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY FUNDING SOURCES

• Health and health care foundations

• Community and corporate foundations

• Social impact bonds

Yes. There is evidence to show that that leveraging legal expertise and services in healthcare settings leads to benefits for patients, healthcare delivery, healthcare costs, and the healthcare workforce. These benefits include:

• People with chronic illnesses are healthier & admitted to the hospital less often, saving healthcare costs.

• People are more stably housed and their utilities are less likely to be shut off.

• People more commonly follow their medical treatment plans and take their medications as prescribed.

• More healthcare costs are covered by insurance and people have greater access to public benefits.

• People report reduced stress and experience improvements in mental health.

• Clinical services are more frequently reimbursed by public and private payers.

Review the peer-reviewed research about medical-legal partnership.