High Desert Families to Soon Get Help Navigating the Healthcare System

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Jan. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), the first health plan in the nation to have a full-time in-house team dedicated to helping members navigate the healthcare system, will expand its Health Navigator program to the Inland Empire High Desert in January.

The program, funded by grants from IEHP and First 5 San Bernardino, helps IEHP members get the preventive care they need while reducing avoidable emergency room visits and hospitalizations. The "Health Navigator" makes a home visit and helps the member and family understand how, when and where to get the medical care they need. Services include:

• Explaining the differences between Urgent Care and the Emergency Room
• Helping them understand how to use the 24-Hour Nurse Advice Line
• Scheduling primary care visits, preventive visits and immunizations
• Connecting members with dental providers
• Assisting them to write down questions the member can take to their next doctor visit
• Providing referrals to other community agencies

"IEHP made me feel valued by taking the time to talk about my family's health concerns and teach me how to use my insurance," said one member after a visit.

The High Desert expansion follows the program's successful first year launch. In this first year, Health Navigators connected with a total of 1,765 health plan members in the cities of San Bernardino, Riverside and surrounding areas. Eighty-five percent of families contacted by a Health Navigator agreed to a home visit. To date, the program has decreased avoidable emergency department visits by approximately 40 percent.

"The program serves as a link between members, providers and the health plan, which ultimately leads to better coordination and care," said IEHP CEO Dr. Bradley Gilbert.

The expansion will roll out in regional phases, starting with the city of Victorville and continuing with the city of Hesperia and then other High Desert communities. The Family Assistance Program, a community-based organization centrally located in the High Desert, is partnering with IEHP to provide office space for the Health Navigator program's expansion.

"There are a great many families in our High Desert communities that benefit from the guidance the Health Navigator program provides," said Karen Scott, Executive Director of First 5 San Bernardino. "We're pleased to support such a vital program."

IEHP, Inland Empire Health Plan, a Knox-Keene licensed health plan located in San Bernardino, California, is a not-for-profit public entity. The IEHP service area includes San Bernardino and Riverside counties and currently serves over 530,000 members in the following programs: Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, Healthy Kids, and a Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan. www.iehp.org.

First 5 San Bernardino was created in 1998 with the passage of Proposition 10, to promote, support and enhance the health and early development of children prenatal through age five. The organization works in collaboration with the community and agencies providing services to children to benefit the County's youngest residents and their families. www.first5sanbernardino.org.

SOURCE Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP)