Washington's Most Vulnerable Patients Now Have Access to Motorized Scooters, Walkers, Transportation and Health Coaches at No Cost Through ConcertoHealth
Providing Vital Social Supports Makes a Difference in Health Compliance for the State's Most At-Risk Patient Population
SEATTLE, Nov. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ConcertoHealth, the leading provider of specialized primary care and supporting clinical services for vulnerable, frail and elderly patients, announced today that it is expanding vital support services to Washington's most at-risk patient population, arranging transportation to medical visits, durable medical equipment (DME) and community health coaching, all at no additional cost to patients.
More than half of ConcertoHealth's Washington patients are diagnosed with six or more chronic conditions, and 89 percent of patients have two or more chronic conditions. As such, the state's frail, elderly and multichronic-conditioned patient population requires more than regular doctor visits to maintain their health. They need home visits when they are housebound, transportation to get to the pharmacy, meal assistance, durable medical equipment, and care providers who know how social factors affect health, access to care and quality of life.
"We recognize that caring for the sickest of patients requires creativity, flexibility and additional resources to ensure they receive the care they need, when they need it most," said ConcertoHealth Chief Care Transformation Officer Christopher Dodd, M.D., M.S. "Facilitating these social support services through the ConcertoHealth primary care model ensures the full scope of patients' needs are met, and further enables us to support health plans' primary care providers (PCPs) in caring for this vulnerable population."
ConcertoHealth provides field-based care teams and support services to Washington state Medicare Advantage health plans. Rather than replace or compete with the health plans' PCPs, ConcertoHealth supports their performance with an array of crucial clinical and logistical resources to care for patients most in need and in any care setting, including within adult family homes. Resources include social workers, care managers, pharmacists, clinicians and nurses.
Washington Social Supports in Action
While researching the needs of the most at-risk patients in the state of Washington, ConcertoHealth found that many needed durable medical equipment, transportation to doctor's visits, and knowledge to help them navigate the complicated healthcare system.
- Durable Medical Equipment (DME): ConcertoHealth works closely with patients to secure DME resources, including motorized scooters and walkers. While caring for a morbidly obese veteran who needed improved mobility, ConcertoHealth deployed a Patient Engagement Specialist to work with the local chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of American (PVA) to secure a power chair for the patient. Another patient, a 59-year-old patient from Federal Way, Wash. with Parkinson's disease, suffered numerous falls as a result of his condition. ConcertoHealth worked with PVA to obtain a powered wheelchair, eliminating the patient's susceptibility to falls and enabling him to accomplish day-to-day tasks, returning some normalcy to his life.
- Transportation: A partnership with Around the Sound in Puget Sound area of Washington enables ConcertoHealth patients to make their Care Center primary care appointments and adhere to the unique care management plans ConcertoHealth tailors for each patient.
- Community Health Coaching: ConcertoHealth Community Health Coaches conduct new patient outreach and will participate with the clinical team later this year. They also help connect patients in need of resources due to social determinants with community organizations, including local food banks, homeless shelters and churches.
These added services to the state of Washington have contributed to a six percent drop in Emergency Department utilization, and PCP visits among this population exceed the national average. More than 85 percent of ConcertoHealth patients see their PCP on a regular basis, thanks to the follow-up provided by their multidisciplinary care teams.
"Complex and vulnerable patients have a single clinical champion to manage transitions-of-care and to enlist the right care team member to design treatment plans that are tailored to their unique needs," said Dodd. "By further partnering with the health plans' PCPs and other local organizations, we can provide patients with the resources they desperately need, and - over a short period of time - contribute to a better quality of life."
About ConcertoHealth
ConcertoHealth Inc. is the leading provider of specialized primary care and supporting clinical services for vulnerable, frail and elderly patients. ConcertoHealth provides high-touch, individualized care for patients and also deploys wraparound clinical resources to extend the reach of primary care providers. Operating exclusively in value-based agreements, the ConcertoHealth care model, elevated by Patient3D, improves overall health quality and outcomes for high-need patient populations. The ConcertoHealth care model is proven to reduce admissions by 30.3 percent and readmissions by 17.1 percent, benefiting patients, payers and their provider networks alike. The company is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif.
SOURCE ConcertoHealth
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