In the world of commercial insurance, patient engagement might mean offering incentive or reward programs for healthy behaviors, or providing tools that help consumers choose the lowest cost and best quality care providers. In Medicaid, it’s a little bit different.
“In Medicaid, it means ‘see if you can find me,'” explained Cade Havard, chairman and CEO of health technology company Health: ELT (which stands for engagement, logistics and technology).
Many of the highest-cost Medicaid beneficiaries are disabled or have multiple chronic conditions. But because low-income populations are more likely to lack stable housing, transportation and means of communication, it can be hard to keep them engaged in their health and healthcare. As a result, they often receive fragmented or uncoordinated care.
Health: ENT wanted to leverage technology to improve how Medicaid functions for both plans and the growing number of Medicaid members. The Dallas-based company is developing a suite of mobile and digital media services for managed care organizations, managed care service providers and certain states that manage their own Medicaid benefits.
Havard couldn’t get into specifics about the services it plans to provide, but the company’s website lists clinical support and reporting tools, case management tools, automation for specialty reporting and refining workflow processes, and provider database management among its potential offerings. He said the team comes from an extensive background in health IT and the commercial and managed care sectors.
The company is raising a $2.5 million round in preparation to launch a handful of pilot projects next year, Havard said. So far, it’s been financed by $5 million put up from the owners, he added.
Several other companies make software for managed care organizations, but Health: ELT claims to be the only one working in Medicaid engagement and logistics technology.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
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