Oklahoma Health Care Authority Continues to Save Millions in Healthcare Costs, Improving Quality of Care

OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Oklahoma's Medicaid program is continuing to prove that it is not only saving taxpayers millions of dollars but is also improving the health and lives of Oklahomans. An independent evaluation shows the Telligen-administered SoonerCare Health Management Program (HMP) has, over the last five years, saved Oklahoma taxpayers $140.7 million with a return on investment of 277%.

Telligen helps the HMP at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority – the administer of SoonerCare, Oklahoma's Medicaid program – deliver value by identifying members for health coaching who are high-risk or at-risk for developing chronic conditions and working with primary care providers to provide higher-quality, more patient-centered and cost-effective care. The program's combination of personalized health coaching and one-on-one practice facilitation provides: 1) increased education and support to members with chronic conditions; and 2) strategies that help physician practices identify and prioritize improvement goals and track progress.

"OHCA's partnership with Telligen is just one facet of the agency's commitment to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, while providing excellent service to our members," OHCA CEO Kevin Corbett said. "We are constantly searching for new and innovative ways to better reach both of those goals."

The total results of the SoonerCare Health Management Program over the last 10 years has achieved taxpayer savings of more than $322.6 million.

"These positive ROI and medical cost avoidance expenditures for the state have trended up for the past 10 years," said DJ Jones, HMP Director with Telligen. "We are focused on doing our part here in Oklahoma to make it a top 10 state in health care. The evidence Telligen is helping Oklahoma meet its goals is demonstrated through our effective health coaching and practice facilitation, resulting in direct costs savings of more than $322 million over the lifetime of the program and a decrease in utilization of the ED and avoidable inpatient hospital admissions."

For members with chronic conditions – from heart disease, to asthma, to diabetes – Telligen embeds registered nurses within primary care practices and provides one-on-one health coaching, telephone support and home visits. In addition, the HMP features on-site practice facilitators who help physicians redesign clinical processes and eliminate gaps in care. Over the past five years, these strategies allow for savings to go back to the state. An independent annual evaluation of the program from FY 2018 found that 92% of members reporting a "very satisfied" experience with their health coaches, and 86% of providers view the program favorably and would recommend it to other providers.

"The latest results from the program continue to be strong, producing both significant cost savings and strong clinical outcomes," said Bill Phipps, vice president of state health solutions at Telligen. "We are proud of the work we do to help Oklahomans improve their health."

About Telligen
For more than 45 years, Telligen has been transforming lives and economies by improving health. Telligen serves commercial clients and government programs at the federal, state and local level, improving health outcomes for millions of people nationwide. For more information, visit www.telligen.com.

About Oklahoma Health Care Authority
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority administers two health programs for the state. The first is SoonerCare, Oklahoma's Medicaid program. SoonerCare works to improve the health of qualified Oklahomans by ensuring that medically necessary benefits and services are available. Qualifying Oklahomans include certain low-income children, seniors, the disabled, those being treated for breast or cervical cancer and those seeking family planning services. The second program OHCA operates is Insure Oklahoma, which assists qualifying adults and small business employees in obtaining health care coverage for themselves and their families. Currently, there are 806,051 Oklahomans enrolled in OHCA's programs. The agency contracts with a network of approximately 60,000 providers. For more information, visit www.okhca.org or www.insureoklahoma.org.

SOURCE Telligen

Related Links

http://www.telligen.com