VNS HEALTH MSO LAUNCHES VNS HEALTH HELPS TOOL FOR NEW YORK STATE HEALTH PLANS

Evidence-based Risk Calculator Helps Medicaid Health Plan Care Managers Allocate Personal Care Services Faster, Easier—and with Greater Precision, Aligned with UAS-NY Guidelines

NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- VNS Health, one of the nation's largest nonprofit home and community-based health care organizations, through its affiliate VNS Health Management Services Organization (MSO), is bringing to market a new data-driven tasking tool that helps health plan care management teams assign Personal Care Services (PCS) for members with unmatched speed and reliability.

The VNS Health HELPS Tool, an innovative application developed by VNS Health MSO, uses functional risk analytics to automatically generate recommendations regarding a plan member's personal care needs, based on the Community Health Assessment (CHA) results via Uniform Assessment System (UAS). The tool offers particular value for Medicaid managed care plans, which routinely evaluate for and authorize personal care services such as hands-on assistance with meals, feeding, bathing and other activities of daily living that support independence and well-being. The proprietary algorithm that drives the tool has successfully guided more than 70,000 real-life authorizations.

"These vital services empower vulnerable plan members to safely live, age and heal where they feel most comfortable—in their homes," says Kelly Cavin, Vice President, Clinical Operations, VNS Health MSO. "By instantly translating UAS data into consistent, evidence-based recommendations, this intuitive and easy-to-use tool provides a highly accurate guide for nurses and other clinicians, allowing them to quickly design individualized care plans that align with member needs."

The VNS Health HELPS Tool is the first of several clinical and operational tools that VNS Health anticipates offering to other healthcare organizations through its affiliate, VNS Health MSO. The VNS Health MSO supports other health care organizations with a wide range of business-support services and care management models designed to reduce the complexity and overall cost of home-based care, while improving quality outcomes for the people they serve. On deck for future rollout are additional products relating to health plan administrative support.

"We see these new B2B products and services as important opportunities to expand the reach of the VNS Health mission," says David O'Malley, Senior Vice President for Product Strategy, VNS Health MSO. "By leveraging our expertise on a broader scale, we are providing more people with access to the essential health care they need—and we're delivering it where they feel most comfortable, in their homes."

To learn more about VNS Health Management Services Organization, or the new VNS Health HELPS Tool, please visit: https://www.vnshealth.org/for-professionals/professional-solutions/.

VNS Health is one of the nation's largest nonprofit home and community-based health care organizations. Innovating in health care for more than 125 years, our commitment to health and well-being is what drives us—we help people live, age and heal where they feel most comfortable, in their own homes, connected to their family and community. On any given day, more than 10,000 VNS Health team members deliver compassionate care, unparalleled expertise and 24/7 solutions and resources to the more than 43,000 "neighbors" who look to us for care. Powered and informed by data analytics that are unmatched in the home and community-health industry, VNS Health offers a full range of health care services, solutions and health plans designed to simplify the health care experience and meet the diverse and complex needs of those we serve in New York and beyond. To learn more, please visit vnshealth.org.

SOURCE VNS Health