Report: Higher-Rated MA Plans Are Less Available in Vulnerable Counties
Disadvantaged counties are less likely to have Medicare Advantage plans with 4.5 stars or higher and more likely to have plans with 3.5 stars or lower, a new study found.
Cigna Addresses Health Disparities Through $9M Commitment
Cigna announced the launch of the Cigna Group Health Equity Impact Fund and committed $9 million on Monday. It will focus on health disparities in Houston, Texas, and Hartford, Connecticut.
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Market Trends to Watch for Health Systems and Their Specialty Pharmacies
The future looks bright for the integrated specialty pharmacy model – for health systems, providers, and most importantly, for patients.
INVEST Pitch Perfect Spotlight: How One Company Is Empowering Individuals through Social and Financial Support
Samaritan provides financial and social support to those without a home. The company was recently crowned winner of the payer/provider track of MedCity News’ INVEST Pitch Perfect contest.
Papa Launches Programs To Address Health-Related Social Needs, Improve Star Ratings
Companion care company Papa has created two programs for health plans: one that addresses social drivers of health and one that aims to improve health plans' star ratings.
Uber Health, Socially Determined Strike Partnership
Through a new partnership, payers and providers will be able to leverage Socially Determined’s social risk data to identify which patients have barriers to accessing healthcare and what those barriers are. Uber Health will then be able to offer its services to support those patients’ specific needs, whether it’s non-emergency medical transportation, same-day prescription delivery or grocery and over-the-counter item delivery.
A Paradigm Shift Towards Reimbursing the Root Causes of Diseases
Medicare needs to incentivize providers by reimbursing them for identifying and addressing social determinants of health. Doing so will ultimately improve patient health outcomes and simultaneously save risk-bearing organizations money.
Reducing Clinical and Staff Burnout with AI Automation
As technology advances, AI-powered tools will increasingly reduce the administrative burdens on healthcare providers.
Alignment Health: What Are Seniors’ Top Barriers to Care?
A new survey from Alignment Health found that economic instability, food insecurity, lack of support and transportation access are the biggest social barriers for seniors.
Prioritizing SDOH for Patients Living with Chronic Diseases: Compassion, Coordination and Community
As the U.S. healthcare system works to focus on the move to preventive, personalized care for patients, it’s time to turn the tide on diabetes by addressing the three Cs of chronic disease care: compassion, coordination, and community.
UnitedHealthcare Invests $11.1M To Address SDOH Needs
UnitedHealthcare awarded grants to 66 nonprofits across 12 states. The grants will support those struggling with social isolation, behavioral health, food insecurity and other social determinants of health.
Report: MA Enrollees Are More Likely to be Socioeconomically Disadvantaged than Traditional Medicare
The average income of a traditional Medicare enrollee is $85,085, versus $76,720 for a Medicare Advantage enrollee, according to a whitepaper done in partnership between Harvard Medical School and software solutions company Inovalon.
The Funding Model for Cancer Innovation is Broken — We Can Fix It
Closing cancer health equity gaps require medical breakthroughs made possible by new funding approaches.
Humana Report: Health-related Social Needs Prevalent Among Dual-eligible and Non-dual-eligible MA Enrollees
A Humana study in Health Affairs found that 80% of dual-eligible beneficiaries had at least one health-related social need in 2019, compared to 48% of non-dual-eligible enrollees. While prevalence was higher in dual-eligible enrollees, non-dual-eligible enrollees shouldn't be overlooked, researchers said.
It’s Not Just Work Requirements; Food Insecurity is a Multidimensional Issue
Twelve short years ago I was a single mother, pregnant and surviving off of food stamps where I relied on the support of the SNAP program. Now, I’ve been given the opportunity to build a platform where I can give a voice to those in similar positions that I once was in and advocate for their needs.
Study: Additional Federal Funding Is Needed To Address SDOH in Primary Care
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine discovered that the cost of providing evidence-based solutions for food, housing, transportation and care coordination is $60 per member per month on average. Existing federal funding covers $27 per member per month, less than half of the total cost.
Health Inequity Has Been Reduced to a ‘Checklist of Unmet Social Needs,’ Exec Says
Health equity strategies need to take factors like racism and lack of power into account, said Dr. Shreya Kangovi, executive director of the Penn Center for Community Health Workers. She made these comments last week at the MedCity INVEST conference in Chicago.
We Need to Work Across Sectors to Advance Health Equity, Global Health Leaders Say
Health disparities are often a result of other socioeconomic factors like housing and nutrition. Because of this, the healthcare industry needs to work with other sectors to improve health equity, said Hans Kluge, regional director for Europe of the World Health Organization, at the HIMSS 2023 conference.