Florida Blue Medicare Offering House Calls with Launch of In-Home Primary Care

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Blue Medicare, the state's Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare plan, is now offering house calls from primary care providers to select members in 17 counties in the Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami, Southeast Florida, Tampa Bay and Pensacola areas. Through a new collaboration with Emcara Health, eligible members receive the same in-person care they traditionally receive at a doctor's office in the comfort of their own home.

"Enabling Medicare members and their caregivers to see their doctors and providers at home — including getting mental well-being support and help enrolling in social programs — removes a number of barriers to accessing care like transportation," said Camille Harrison, Florida Blue executive vice president of Medicare and chief innovation and customer experience officer. "At Florida Blue Medicare, we are very focused on keeping members healthy as they age by addressing key social determinants of health that impact health outcomes and quality of life, increase patient satisfaction and ultimately control the cost of health care as a whole."

The same services as being at a doctor's office — at home
Unlike traditional home health services, the providers at Emcara Health can perform most everything a doctor does in their office — including exams, tests, vaccinations and even imaging. The innovative offering is especially beneficial to Medicare members with multiple chronic medical conditions that may require ongoing support, have been in and out of the hospital frequently or have trouble getting to the doctor's office for an appointment.

24/7 access to the doctor and nurses patients know and trust
Emcara Health provides care at home anytime members need it — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even on holidays. Eligible Florida Blue Medicare members pay the same amount to Emcara Health as they would for an in-office doctor visit.

In addition to getting access to a primary care doctor in their homes, members will also receive in-home support from a physician's assistant or nurse practitioner who visits with them between doctor visits; a registered nurse who checks in with them on a regular basis by phone and in person; a community health worker who connects them to local services like transportation and food programs; and a mental health professional for well-being support.

Expanding in-home care to keep seniors healthy
Emcara Health is currently seeing Florida Blue Medicare members in Clay, Duval, St. Johns, Lake, Orange, Seminole, Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties; later this year, they'll begin seeing patients in Osceola, Polk, Brevard, Marion, Sumter, Charlotte, Collier, and Lee counties. It is the latest collaboration between Florida Blue Medicare and PopHeathCare, which operates Emcara Health.

With the addition of service, Florida Blue Medicare now offers a comprehensive variety of home-based care solutions aimed at helping its Medicare members live healthier. For nearly a decade, Florida Blue and PopHealthCare have offered other in-home health programs to support members in between primary care visits, and in-home assessments to ensure members receive treatment and support for all their conditions. Seeing members in their home environment can help the care team better understand lifestyle and social factors that impact a person's overall well-being and proactively work with our members and their caregivers to address challenges.

"We look forward to continuing to work closely with Florida Blue Medicare to deliver a new level of house call for the most vulnerable seniors in their population- personalized advanced primary care," said Christopher Dodd, MD, chief medical officer of PopHealthCare. "For the past eight years, Emcara Health has been delivering industry-leading quadruple aim outcomes, including net promoter score results of more than 80%, that demonstrate how much our patients love their care teams. Our focus on developing trusting relationships through empathic and empowering care that is aided by an advanced operating platform, has been critical to our consistent delivery of higher quality of care at a lower cost for those most in need."

Florida Blue Medicare is the first Medicare plan in Florida to work with Emcara Health.

About Florida Blue Medicare
Florida Blue Medicare is committed to helping our Florida neighbors live healthier. We offer a wide range of plan options, including Medicare Advantage plans, to give our members what they need to live their best lives and improve their overall health and well-being. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Florida Blue Medicare is built for Florida's seniors and proud to be affiliated with Florida Blue, a health insurer that has served Floridians for over 75 years. Florida Blue and Florida Blue Medicare are Independent Licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Learn more at FloridaBlue.com/Medicare.

About PopHealthCare
At PopHealthCare, we believe that healthcare should be personal. For us, that means bringing care to those who need it most, where they will be able to achieve their health goals best — at home or where they reside. With 23 clients in 19 states, PopHealthCare offers a fully integrated approach to care delivery, risk adjustment, and quality enhancements, serving the highest risk populations with unwavering commitment and dedication. We are proud to be part of the GuideWell family of companies, transforming the delivery of care through new innovative care models that provide superior health outcomes to patients.

Download Emcara Health testimonial by Florida Blue Medicare member Rita Ottinger of Palm Harbor, Fla.

SOURCE Florida Blue Medicare