Viewing entries tagged with 'Value'
MUST READ: The Wall Street Journal Examines How Health Plans Are Helping Patients Stay Out of the Hospital
Posted by The Campaign on July 28, 2010 at 1:18 PM
With the debate about MLR definitions still ongoing, we thought this story from The Wall Street Journal offered a great example of the types of programs health plans use to help keep patients healthy and safe and ultimately save them money. These are the types of programs that all health plans use to improve quality and value and are at the core of health plans' role in the system.
Here is a key excerpt from the story:
"It is more important than ever for health plans and patients to combat medical costs, growing at a clip of between 6% and 9% a year, according to various estimates. Heart failure-which can be triggered by simple mistakes such as consuming too much salt-is a leading cause of hospital readmissions, with about 25% of patients returning to the hospital within 30 days. It's also one of the biggest single claims expenses at insurance companies. Aetna estimates that 40% of readmissions are avoidable.
"For patients, the extra surveillance could cut down on trips to the hospital and provide peace of mind. That's what Carolyn Brown, a 63-year-old retired teacher's aide from Bronx, N.Y., found when she started using a new monitoring system covered by her insurer, MetroPlus Health Plan Inc., after she suffered two heart attacks."
For the full story, click here.
MUST SEE: Physician Discusses Value of Health Plans
Posted by The Campaign on July 08, 2009 at 10:29 AM
The Coalition for Medicare Choices, a grassroots organization of 800,000 seniors, today released a video featuring a Massachusetts physician discussing health plans' efforts to help coordinate care for patients.
You can watch the full video below:
