ChenMed Coordinated Care Teams - Fully Integrated Within its Network of Senior Medical Centers - Optimize Patient Care Inside and Well Beyond Center Walls

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Oct 09, 2023, 07:00 ET

Patient Advocates, Social Workers and Entire Care Teams Remove Myriad Barriers to Care that Society's Most Vulnerable Seniors Face
Medicaid Re-enrollment, Housing and Food Insecurity Are Just Some of the Patients' Real-Life Health Issues that ChenMed Care Teams Address

MIAMI, Oct. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ChenMed, one of the nation's leading primary health care providers focused on serving seniors, has implemented an ambitious program to provide each of its patients with access to the services of a coordinated care team, across its more than 130 senior medical centers in 15 states throughout the country.

Coordinated care team members, like patient advocate Sharon Davis (pictured, left), address patients’ food, housing, transportation, and other practical needs that can impact their wellness and the quality of their day-to-day living.

This company-wide integration coincides with the federal government's unwinding of the Public Health Emergency it established during the Covid-19 pandemic, a process that now requires all Medicaid recipients to re-enroll in the program within state-by-state deadlines, or risk losing Medicaid benefits to which they might be entitled.

Medicaid-eligible older adults are particularly vulnerable to this prospect. A recent West Health-Gallup survey revealed a sizable proportion of the older adult population in the U.S. copes with health care costs by skipping treatments and cutting back on basic and essential needs. Twelve percent of those 65 and older say they or a member of their household had a health problem in the last year that they did not seek treatment for due to cost. The survey found 11% of Americans in this age group report that they or a family member skipped prescribed pills to save money.

ChenMed's patients are generally 65 and older and many live in underserved areas. By ensuring that those who are eligible for Medicaid successfully re-enroll within their particular state's deadline, ChenMed's care teams enable them to retain a variety of vital resources to support their health and wellness needs.

"We provide this service to supplement the unwinding efforts that are now underway and to make it as convenient as possible for the Medicaid-eligible seniors we serve to maintain their insurance," said Dr. Say Salomon, ChenMed national chief medical officer, hospital and community care. "Without it, they run the risk of facing unaffordable medical bills and losing access to programs they need to stay healthy and secure."

During a recent review of a patient's Medicaid status, a patient advocate in the company's Chicago Glenwood Center learned the patient faced the loss of her house, unaware she owed multiple years of unpaid property taxes. The patient advocate enrolled the patient in two State of Illinois programs, minimizing the financial burden she faced, and allowing her to stay in her home.

"Many of our patients have had little access to the kind of medical care and services that all of us need to lead our healthiest lives," said Steve Nelson, ChenMed president. "To truly provide them with whole person (value-based) care, we need to understand and address the practical issues that determine and directly impact the quality of their day-to-day living. This is a primary focus of ChenMed team members, including our patient advocates, social workers, nurse practitioners, and doctors, who make it their mission to learn of the burdens our patients face beyond their medical status and work together to remove them."

About ChenMed

ChenMed, headquartered in Miami, is a privately owned medical and technology company that delivers the high-touch and personalized primary care Medicare-eligible seniors need to enjoy better health. The growing company operates more than 130 senior medical centers in 15 states. Named a Fortune "Change the World" company, twice-named a "Most Loved Workplace" by Newsweek, and a Certified Best Place to Work® by the Best Place to Work Institute, ChenMed brings concierge-style medicine and better health outcomes to the neediest populations. ChenMed brands include Chen Senior Medical Center, Dedicated Senior Medical Center, JenCare Senior Medical Center, and IntuneHealth™. Thanks to its leading value-based, healthcare technology organization, Curity™, ChenMed also was recently named "Best Places to Work in IT" by Computerworld.

SOURCE ChenMed