816,000: The number of “healthy days” seen by Humana’s Medicare Advantage members in 2019, representing the first increase in this metric since the insurer began tracking it in 2015. “Healthy days” is a health metric developed by the CDC that measures physical and behavioral health. The metric is tracked as part of Humana’s Bold Goal initiative, a population health strategy aiming to improve the health of the communities Humana serves.
Uber At It, For Seniors: InComm, a technology company, announced a partnership with American Logistics and Uber Health to launch a transportation benefit program. The program will allow Medicare Advantage members to request non-emergency medical transportation using plan-provided benefits.
Patient Is ‘Community’: BCBS of North Carolina has provided a $1 million grant to Durham Technical Community College for a new mobile health lab for elementary-age children in underserved neighborhoods, where transportation is a common barrier to accessing health services. The mobile lab will provide free glasses, offer free dental pre-screenings and education, and participate in health fairs at public elementary schools, offering basic vital sign checks, cholesterol and glucose checks, and health and nutrition education to combat childhood obesity.
Left Holding the White Bag: A flurry of changes are on the horizon this summer as more commercial HMOs require physicians to order specialty medications through the insurer’s preferred specialty pharmacy, a process often called “white bagging.” As a result, buy and bill erodes as a reliable model, at least in some cases, and it will be interesting to watch, given many physicians are already pushing back. This comes at a time when more hospitals are looking to maneuver back into the specialty pharmacy arena, particularly 340B entities, establishing in-house pharmacies and trying to partner with insurers.
‘So Epic’: My son Tommy says this for pretty much everything - about ma’s meatloaf or the latest B- he got on his social studies paper, or the way he combed his hair. In healthcare, Epic is underway on a predictable initiative with insurers. HCSC Blues plans will be some of the first insurers to launch a new health information sharing platform for providers who use the EHR. The platform will be able to establish a secure, interconnected health system and information exchange between payers, providers, and patients. One aim of the platform is to identify gaps in care, helping patients make choices that will help reduce personal health care costs. Expected to launch later in 2020 for select BCBS-contracted providers and health systems who already use Epic.
Merge: Managing care in the western New York to Delaware corridor increasingly flows through Highmark, which will have about 6 million members after merging with HealthNow New York, a non-profit which includes BCBS of Western New York and BlueShield of Northeastern New York. Highmark is the 4th largest BCBS-affiliated organization nationally.