SWH Moves Low-Income Seniors To Head Of Line For Accessing Quality Medical Services
Meriden, CT - Senior Whole Health, a health care plan with a history of specializing in integrated care management services for seniors 65 and older, recently announced the availability of its Special Needs Plans (SNPs) to 30,000 Medicare/Medicaid dual eligible and Part D beneficiaries in Connecticut's Hartford, New Haven and Middlesex counties. Senior Whole Health (SWH) of Connecticut was approved by the state as an HMO and has been certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan.
"This integrated care management model which we are introducing in Connecticut has proven highly successful in Massachusetts, where we currently serve participating dual eligible beneficiaries and have recently expanded beyond the eastern part of the state into Worcester County," says R.J. Pomerville, Executive Director of SWH. "We are also rolling-out programs in six upstate New York counties, with plans to go statewide and bring access to about 480,000 dual eligible seniors."
What distinguishes SWH from traditional health insurance programs in Connecticut is this professional and personalized dedication to the coordination of care, with a designated contact point that enhances not only the level of care but also relieves the pressures on caregivers, family members and others to identify appropriate health services, arrange and monitor care. "SWH combines the strength of an insurance-health plan with care management services, providing a bridge between intensive medical services through home and community based services that relies upon strong working relationships with other agencies," continues Pomerville. "At SWH, we look forward to becoming a part of the medical community and to working closely with agencies who share our mission. Together with these organizations, SWH anticipates high levels of service to the people of this state."
SWH has already entered into agreements with over 1,600 providers and nine hospitals within the three county service area, including over 90 percent of the physicians in Middlesex County and in the Meriden-Wallingford region."This is a red-letter day for these vulnerable patients who can now take advantage of the focused attention of a Registered Nurse Coordinator, a designated care coordinator and a team of professionals to advocate for and synchronize their total health care needs," says Rodney Hornbake, M.D., Medical Director for SWH Connecticut and a board-certified internist in Connecticut who is already enrolling his own patients in the plan. "We are building this program based upon a model that has been tested and proven to be highly successful."
Dr. Hornbake explains that the SWH approach is far more than a phone screening or impersonal arrangements. "People are treated as human beings facing the reality of aging with limited resources. They are more than just members or numbers – they are real men and women with profound needs."
Linda Worden R.N., Clinical Director of SWH and a long time Connecticut resident adds, "One of the most appealing aspects of Senior Whole Health is that there is always someone to call for case management and coordination of care, experienced professionals who can successfully tackle the current fragmentation of care delivery in Connecticut." Worden cites the importance of the plan's Continuous Assessment Primary Care Team and an Individual Care Plan tailored to each participant. "Our low-income elderly residents now have access to more than just a health insurance program," she notes. "This is health care on a highly individualized, first-name basis where there is attention to personal requirements and a commitment to keeping each person as healthy and independent as possible."
By creating these relationships, through individualized home assessments, home environment analyses and ongoing one-on-one communications, Senior Whole Health professionals take the coordination of health care to a new level. A centralized enrollment system, providing every member of the SWH team with access to information, further ensures 24/7 care management. Senior Whole Health's network services and partner offerings include facilities, behavioral health, pharmacy and other providers who offer a comprehensive range of services. In addition to acute care and institutional providers, Senior Whole Health also contracts and works closely with community-based care, elder services and local agencies that serve the elderly in Central Connecticut. For further information, you can visit www.seniorwholehealth.com.
SOURCE: Senior Whole Health