How Health IT Promotes Medicare Member Caregiver Wellbeing

A new relationship between Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Regence health plans and Best Buy Health leverages health IT to address caregiver wellbeing and Medicare members.

Eligible members enrolled in a Blue Cross Blue Shield Regence Medicare Advantage plan with coverage in 2021 will now be able to access Lively Mobile Plus, a personal emergency response system (PERS) from Best Buy Health.

“We’re meeting members where they are and supporting their unique health care needs by leveraging technology and virtual care options,” said Kathleen Faulk, senior vice president and general manager of government programs for Regence health plans.

“Working alongside Best Buy Health to offer the best-in-class Lively Mobile Plus solution is just one of the many ways we’re creating value for our members and providing tools and resources to help them live healthy, confident lives,” Faulk continued.

The device helps promote independent living by providing members with 24/7 support from trained staff to help with emergency health problems or non-emergency events like being locked out of their home. In addition, the device has fall detection technology and can help members address certain social determinants of health such as transportation, food insecurity, and social isolation.

Almost half of Americans (45 percent) are currently caring for a loved one, and this number is projected to increase due to COVID-19. In order to address the needs of caregivers, Lively Mobile Plus has an integrated app called GreatCall Link which allows friends and family to check in on member health and wellbeing. The app also offers non-family caregivers as a support line that can offer emotional assistance.

Other payers are leveraging technology to address the needs of Medicare members through virtual care. In September, CVS Health’s Aetna announced a partnership with Landmark Health that utilizes home healthcare to address chronic disease management.

Eligible members have multiple chronic conditions and must be living at home. These members have access to personalized virtual care from a healthcare professional 24/7.

“We recognize that members with multiple chronic conditions, you know, are particularly vulnerable to needing care urgently and personally,” Lauren Casalveri, Aetna vice president and chief Medicare officer in New York explained to HealthPayerIntelligence at the time of the announcement.

“This new approach identifies members with multiple chronic conditions and provides stronger in-home physician support in addition to their current primary care physician relationship,” Casalveri explained. “This collaboration allows members to remain safely in their homes and provides optimal treatment for their conditions.”

With greater provider accessibility and more personalized care, Casalveri predicted lower healthcare spending and the mitigation of certain social determinants of health. For example, transportation can stand in the way of members receiving care, but with home healthcare, transportation is a non-issue. 

Paused elective care due to COVID-19 has led patients to stay home, amplifying the need for home healthcare options. Casalveri emphasized that the payers need to work toward making financing for senior home healthcare a priority.

“The pandemic is certainly having an interesting impact on how care is being provided. From my perspective, as I focus on seniors, I worry most about members avoiding needed care and avoiding preventive care,” Casalveri shared.

“If the pandemic provides more urgency around finding creative ways to support families, to help seniors live safely, individually at home, I think that will be a very positive outcome,” Casalveri continued.