New England Healthcare CO-OP Selects MCG to Support High-Value Care

SEATTLE, Feb. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Maine Community Health Options (MCHO) has licensed solutions and care guidelines from MCG to support member care management. MCG (part of the Hearst Health network) is a leading provider of care guidance to health plan and provider markets.

"Built on a foundation of evidence-based, globally sourced medical literature, MCG clinical content provides consistent guidance for medical necessity review across our broad healthcare network," said Dr. John Yindra, MCHO's Chief Medical Officer. "At the same time, MCG care guidelines account for the unique circumstances of our individual members – especially with regard to comorbid conditions and psychosocial barriers."

With $68 million in recent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) financing, MCHO continues to expand its healthcare network and membership. The MCHO medical services team will use MCG CareWebQI^® decision support software and care guidelines to improve communication with its growing network of providers, leading to a streamlined prior authorization process and improved care management for an increasingly diverse membership.

"When conversations between health plan and provider start with the same evidence," Yindra said, "clinical decision-making improves and the whole system benefits: Provider satisfaction increases, patient outcomes improve and administrative costs are held in check." 

MCHO began providing coverage in Maine in 2014 and now offers plans in New Hampshire, as well. Created under the Affordable Care Act's Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) Program, the health plan offers health insurance in the individual and group markets in Maine and New Hampshire.

"In a highly competitive industry, MCHO's focus on high-value care has led to sustained growth as well as recognition by CMS and the National Committee for Quality Assurance," said Jon Shreve, president of MCG. "I believe that CO-OPs have become an important element in the country's healthcare landscape. We are pleased to join with them in the effort to improve healthcare quality."

MCHO licenses MCG CareWebQI and care guidelines for ambulatory care, acute care, recovery facility care, and chronic care. MCHO also licenses MCG patient information to support member self-care.

About Maine Community Health Options – Maine Community Health Options (MCHO) is a Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) providing comprehensive, Member-focused and Member-led health insurance benefits for individuals, families and businesses. Licensed in both Maine and New Hampshire, MCHO is dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality health benefits through productive partnerships with Members and a broad network of providers throughout its service areas. For more information about MCHO, visit the website: www.maineoptions.org. 

About MCG
Milliman Care Guidelines became MCG in December 2012 as part of the Hearst Corporation acquisition. Now part of the Hearst Health network, MCG independently develops and produces evidence-based clinical guidelines and software used by more than 2,200 clients, including 1,300 hospitals and eight of the ten largest U.S. health plans. Updated annually by an experienced team of clinicians, the care guidelines support the care management of a majority of Americans. For more information, visit www.mcg.com.

MCG is part of the Hearst Health network, which also includes FDB (First Databank), Zynx Health and Homecare Homebase. The mission of the Hearst Health network is to help guide the most important care moments by delivering vital information into the hands of everyone who touches a person's health journey. Each year in the U.S., care guidance from the Hearst Health network reaches 76% of discharged patients, 133 million insured individuals, 30 million home health visits, 1.88 billion retail pharmacy prescriptions and 3.26 billion prescription claims. Extensions of the Hearst Health network include Hearst Health Ventures and the Hearst Health Innovation Lab. www.hearsthealth.com

Media Contact
Nancy Narraway
MCG
Tel +1 206 389 5405
[email protected]

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SOURCE MCG

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