SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 3, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Matrix Medical Network, the national leader in providing prospective health assessment services for Medicare Advantage (MA) plan members, has released a new research brief and infographic that finds the number one reason health plans use prospective home assessments today is to steer their care management programs.
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The Matrix study confirms that the use of Nurse Practitioners to complete home health assessments provides a comprehensive and accurate "whole-person" view that enables health plans and physicians to guide a patient's care. That whole-person view, which evaluates every aspect of a member's health including medication compliance, social and financial situations, and home environment, is a critical first step in creating the right care management program for an individual.
"The interesting trend from this research is that 71% of the health plans we surveyed already use prospective assessments to start their care management programs," said Zach Gerbarg, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Matrix Medical Network. "Our Nurse Practitioners, who are spending 60-minutes with the health plan member, are gathering a lot more information than a physician can get in the average 8-10 minute patient visit."
The study confirms a trend Matrix noticed in its own customer base: health plans are using assessments to identify and close gaps in the care of plan members and, in the survey, health plans ranked "identifying gaps in care" as the number one reason they use assessments today. Other reasons that health plans use assessments are to meet 5-Star quality measures, capture RAF scores, and improve health outcomes. "As health plans narrow their priorities on solutions that are delivered to members in their homes, those that have successfully leveraged in-home assessments will have an advantage as they can use those same resources in the future for hospital readmission and chronic care management programs," said Kim Rosengren, Vice President of Marketing at Matrix.
Matrix conducted the survey at the 2013 America's Health Insurance Plans Medicare Conference in September with health plan executives. It calculated results using only respondents holding director and vice president-level titles, including MDs. The infographic from Matrix highlights the company's key survey findings about health plans' views on the changing role of care management.
Matrix is the industry's pioneer in using a network of nationally-certified and employed NPs to conduct in-person, 60-minute-plus prospective assessments in MA members' homes and nursing facilities across the U.S. Matrix is the largest provider of in-home assessments and will positively impact the lives of more than 335,000 Medicare Advantage members in 2013.
Read the Matrix research brief: Health Plans Use Assessments to Steer Care Management Programs
About Matrix Medical Network
Matrix is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., and provides prospective health assessment services that help health plans provide high-quality care while managing costs. Having pioneered the use of a national network of highly-trained employee Nurse Practitioners to conduct medical assessments in member homes or nursing facilities, Matrix is dedicated to improving the quality of health care in the U.S. Matrix is owned by Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a leading private equity investment firm. For more information, visit www.MatrixForMe.com.
