Buckeye Community Health Plan Program Receives Top Honor from OAHP

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Buckeye Community Health Plan "FIRST STEP Addiction in Pregnancy" case management program received the Ohio Association of Health Plan's (OAHP) Pinnacle Award for Best Practice Health Care Programs at the recent OAHP Annual Conference.   

"We are honored that our FIRST STEP program received the highest recognition from OAHP.  We always put the welfare of our members at the forefront of our programming and treatment, and it's humbling that our peers recognize our high standards," Brad Lucas, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Buckeye, said.

FIRST STEP integrates Buckeye's "Start Smart for Your Baby Program" with an intensive behavioral health component designed to assist addicted moms in obtaining needed treatment and services during their pregnancies.   

FIRST STEP partners with addiction programs in Ohio, connecting members to intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs along with the associated medical-assisted treatments with Subutex and Methadone.  Buckeye partners with Cenpatico Behavioral Health in this integrated care management program to customize behavioral health solutions by providing clinical and administrative expertise to government entities, health plans and employers.

"The Buckeye staff and medical directors are engaging our members in healthier behaviors, walking beside them as they take their "first step" towards delivering a healthy baby.  With FIRST STEP, our moms are delivering healthy babies who don't need to spend weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit," Dr. Lucas said.

In addition to Dr. Lucas, Lori Mulichak, vice president of medical management for Buckeye, Laura Paynter, Dawn McCree, Karen Berga are leaders of the FIRST STEP program.

Working in collaboration are the Buckeye Start Smart staff, including Lori Mulichak, Dawn McCree, Karen Berga, Jessica King, Tricia Blackburn, Cheryl Binienda, Karla Markle, Monica Gaynor, Christine Pitts, Lori Edmondson, and Cindy Ringler, along with the Cenpatico Behavioral staff, comprised of Laura Paynter, Linda Cosma, Marie Thompson, Tiffany DeKnight, Scott Sackett, and Jamille Gabriel.

About Buckeye Community Health Plan
Buckeye Community Health Plan is a managed care plan that has been providing services in Ohio since 2004. Buckeye is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading multi-line healthcare enterprise offering both core Medicaid and specialty services. Information regarding Buckeye is available via the Internet at www.bchpohio.com. Buckeye can be followed on Twitter as @Buckeye_Health. 

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SOURCE Buckeye Community Health Plan