Summary

Program goals

BlueStar Healthcare Network activities are aimed at expanding quality and affordable sexual reproductive health services to the underserved in a cost effective, consumer accessible and sustainable manner.

Key program components

The franchise encompasses a network of health practitioners linked through contractual agreements to provide socially beneficial services of a specified quality under a common brand, 'BlueStar'. A transparent selection process is carried out to choose potential franchisees for membership into BlueStar’s healthcare network, which is proceeded by a systematic analysis into their needs and the relevant support that is to be provided. Such support includes staff training (clinical and business skills), supply chain management for commodities required to perform the services, provision of equipment, job aids, record keeping and reporting, referral networks, mobile technology applications (mHealth, eHealth, M4QI), marketing, and minor structural improvements where necessary. Franchisee management is carried out to support, supervise, monitor and evaluate performance against the set MSU BlueStar standards, which are centered on quality of care, customer experience, equity of services delivered, and tracking and monitoring. MSU facilitates equity and access to quality services for the poor, as well as generating demand and energizing the private sector through provision of vouchers for those graded as poor and marginalized, in accordance with their poverty grading tool, and through marketing strategies which will target low income clients. As of February 2013, there were 420 franchised providers with an additional 80 expected to be franchised by summer 2013.