Nov 1, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
110: The number of nurses Blue Carolina is using through its new Health Blue Line to help members facing a serious medical event or chronic condition. Initial calls can last between 30 to 60 minutes, with follow-up calls lasting around 15 minutes. Through an integrated care management program officially launching in January 2020, nurses will refer patients to outpatient services, community resources, and PCPs as needed, including for behavioral health help. Telehealth Momentum: Despite last week’s study revealing senior dislike for tele-encounters, Intermountain Health System has launched a...
Oct 25, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
68: Percent of older adults who say the quality of care would not be as good as a face-to-face visit, according to a University of Michigan National Poll on Health Aging, with half saying they did not feel personally connected to the health care professional and 4 in 10 reporting difficultly seeing or hearing. The poll asked a national sample of 2,200 adults, ages 50 to 80, about their ‘tele’ experience. Prostate Story Twist: Nebraska Internist Marvin Bittner ended up buying one of those imaging vouchers through MDSave to cover an MRI his doctor thought was necessary to identify suspicious...
Oct 4, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
1. 90: Percent of US population who live within 10 miles of a Walmart where finding home goods and supplies probably just got easier now that the retailer has partnered with home health company Amedisys. How the partnership will play out remains to be seen. The objective of ‘Walmart Health’ is to provide clinic-based primary care, counseling, home care, and dentistry, at reduced costs. If our straw poll is any indication, the medical director community isn’t buying yet – just 11% said they anticipate high-quality care at Walmart, with several ‘wondering if the partnership’ could...
Sep 9, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
1. Lyft In & Off: The ROI on getting patients to appointments is so good that a network contracting team decided to hire rideshare company Lyft, even though industry commenters say Lyft does not have the same type of credentialing standards for drivers as traditional medical transport businesses (such as medical vans), according to a poll of our network operations managers. Some figured the ROI was good enough just to keep patients from using hospital ERs that they could worry about consequences later, like a lawsuit because the driver isn’t vetted and gets in an accident. Other...
Aug 30, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
1. No House of Cards: Health plans are continuing to act on the link between stable housing and better health. Illinois’ Blue plan recently invested in housing to improve the health of homeless Chicagoans by partnering with private and public funders, investing as much as $1M in the project in Chicago’s Flexible Housing Pool. The two-year grant will fund housing, paired with intensive case management services, for people who are homeless and have been frequent visitors to hospital emergency rooms. The city of Chicago aims to host 750 units of supportive housing in the future. United...
Aug 23, 2019 | Managed Care Friday
1. Younger but Not Better: Millennials are a less healthy generation compared to Generation X at the same age. One in three millennials do not have a primary care physician and are less likely to seek preventative care on a regular basis, based on a new study of medical claims by the BCBS Health Index. The report found that millennials had substantially higher diagnoses for eight of the top 10 health conditions than Generation X, and based on their current health status, millennials are more likely to be less healthy when they’re older, compared to Gen Xers. These findings are based off a...
