Ochsner Digital Medicine teams up with AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana to improve treatment of hypertension, Type 2 diabetes

Participating members to receive remote patient management, dedicated clinical support in effort to avoid preventable emergency department visits and hospital stays

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ochsner Digital Medicine has teamed up with AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana to offer digital medicine services to the health plan's members. Utilizing remote patient management (RPM), Ochsner Digital Medicine and AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana will work together to help members with certain chronic conditions better manage their health and improve their quality of life.

AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana, part of the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies, is a Healthy Louisiana managed Medicaid health plan covering members throughout the state. AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana members with hypertension or Type 2 diabetes and who had a potentially preventable admission, potentially preventable readmission, or potentially preventable emergency department visit event within the last 18 months can be enrolled in the program by their care manager or referred by their primary care provider.

Participating members use a digital device (blood pressure cuff and/or glucometer) that connects to their smartphone or tablet to take and submit readings to their Digital Medicine care team. The results are monitored and promptly followed up on if members register abnormal blood pressure or blood sugar readings, or are beginning to trend off track. The Ochsner Digital Medicine care team consists of a licensed clinician, who is matched one-on-one with each member, and a panel of health coaches for professional health coaching to complement that of their primary care provider.

Having been at the forefront of remote patient management, Ochsner Health is renowned for its leadership in digital medicine. Notably, eighty percent of participants enrolled in Ochsner Digital Medicine achieve condition control within six months. 

"We know that using an integrated approach to addressing hypertension and Type 2 diabetes greatly benefits patients and can significantly lower medical costs," said Dr. Denise Basow, executive vice president and chief digital officer at Ochsner Health. "The Ochsner Digital Medicine program has a proven method for addressing costly health conditions through remote patient management, allowing members to manage their conditions where and how it fits them. By teaming up with AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana, we're able to provide high-quality care to more individuals across the state, which is critical to improving access and supporting our communities."

"Ochsner's hospitals, physicians, and services have long been critical to our efforts to build healthier communities throughout Louisiana. This expansion of our relationship will make it easier for our members with hypertension and type 2 diabetes to manage these chronic health challenges and avoid preventable emergency room and hospital visits," said AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana Market President Kyle Viator.

Click here for more information on Ochsner Digital Medicine.

About Ochsner Digital Medicine 
Ochsner Health is an integrated healthcare system with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. With more than 80 years of service, it leads nationally in cancer care, cardiology, neurosciences, liver and kidney transplants, and pediatrics, among other areas. Ochsner is consistently named both the top hospital and top children's hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report. Its cutting-edge Connected Health Digital Medicine program cares for patients beyond its walls by applying technology and data to create customized, patient-centered digital health solutions for chronic condition management. This program is a true clinical model that includes medication management by licensed clinicians. It enables members to improve their health and patient experience while reducing costs. Ochsner Digital Medicine is live in all 50 states, serving members, health plans, and employers nationally. Learn more at connectedhealth.ochsner.org.

About AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana
AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana is one of six Medicaid managed care plans that participate in the Healthy Louisiana program. AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana helps Louisiana families get proper care and stay well. AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana works with communities in need to achieve positive health outcomes throughout the state. For more information, go to www.amerihealthcaritasla.com. 

SOURCE Ochsner Health