New Medicare HMO Report Card Provides Benchmark
This month, the federal government issued its first report card on Medicare HMOs that tells seniors how their health plan measures up. This is a major marketing coup for Medicare HMOs that make the grade.
The report card is posted on HCFA's (Health Care Financing Administration) Web site at http://www.medicare.gov. The findings also will be distributed to senior citizen groups and included in Medicare handbooks that will be sent to enrollees this fall.
The consumer demand for this information is at an all-time high as health plans are dropping Medicare patients this month, forcing about 440,000 members to change their HMO. In addition, this information will be useful for the 6 million Medicare beneficiaries nationwide who are enrolled in an HMO.
Later this year, HCFA will release the results of a consumer satisfaction survey involving 125,000 Medicare HMO members.
In spite of the vast information void the government's outreach efforts are expected to fill, Humana is not expecting them to have a major impact. Recommendations from friends and family and personal experiences are the factors that have most bearing on Medicare HMO decisions, says Mary Sellers, a Humana spokesperson.
(HCFA, 202/690-6726)
Model Outreach Efforts Lower Premature Births
Health plans are stepping up outreach initiatives aimed at lowering the rate of premature births nationwide, according to the American Association of Health Plans (AAHP). The statistics are staggering - of the four million American babies who will be born this year, approximately 430,000 will be premature and more than a quarter of a million will have low birth weights - making preventive and educational efforts critical.
AAHP highlights in its report, "Best Practices in Women's Health: Identifying Exemplary Care," model managed care practices and programs for improving the health of pregnant women. The strategies involve:
- Increasing early detection initiatives of high-risk pregnancies;
- Setting community-based goals to reduce the number of low-birth weight babies
- Increasing access to prenatal care among under-served women; and
- Decreasing the number of Cesarean sections.
The plans included in the report have succeeded in these areas, they include the Virginia Chartered Health Plan, which increased participation in prenatal classes by 70 percent and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida's rate of premature births dropped by 27 percent over a four-year period.
For information about the report, contact AAHP at 202/778-3200.
Free Email Newsletter Delivers Research Updates
Healthcare Intelligence Network (HIN), an Internet-based content provider in Manasquan, N.J, launched a free email newsletter that delivers weekly updates on managed care research. Headlines will cover five areas:
- Healthcare/managed care industry;
- Health law and regulation;
- Hospital and health system management; and
- Behavioral healthcare and long-term care.
Healthcare professionals can sign up for the newsletter on HIN's Web site at http://www.hin.com.
(HIN, Melanie Matthews, 732/292-1100, ext. 27)
Agency News
- Last month, New York-based Robert A. Becker launched a new division, "The Sales Engine," that integrates the agency's resources for targeted direct-to-physician programs. The division offers telesales support, vacant territory management, mature brand revitalization and teleconferences/meetings support. Carolyn Fischer has been named president of the new division.
(Becker, Lee A. Davies, 212/925-4556)
- Ernst & Young's National Healthcare Practice names Fischer & Partners its PR agency of record. The Los Angeles-based agency will develop and manage the firm's national media relations efforts and integrated marketing activities.
The agency was selected because of its knowledge of the healthcare industry, payor/provider expertise and national healthcare account experience, according to Ernst & Young.
(Fischer & Partners, Roger Fischer, 310/577-7870)