TAMPA, Fla., June 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WellCare of
Florida, a subsidiary of WellCare
Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), formed a new, value-base care
agreement for the establishment of a behavioral health home with
Peace River Center for Personal Development.
Under the agreement, Peace River Center will provide both
behavioral and medical services for Staywell Medicaid members
identified as having severe medical and behavioral health issues,
including those with a formal diagnosis of serious mental illness
(SMI). Peace River Center will be responsible for the integration
and coordination of care for these members. The agreement also
provides incentive payments to Peace River Center for quality-based
improvements in certain Healthcare Effectiveness Data and
Information Set (HEDIS) measures, a tool used by more than 90
percent of America's health plans to measure performance on
important dimensions of care and service.
This is important due to the sobering statistics on
premature deaths for people with SMI. According
to JAMA
Psychiatry, those diagnosed with SMI
were more than 3.5 times more likely to die than the general
population, and they lose an estimated 28.5 years of life,
primarily because of natural causes. Further, 85 percent of
premature deaths in SMI populations were due to largely preventable
conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes,
and heart disease. Research also shows that SMI members that are
participating in a behavioral health home are more likely to access
primary care services and therefore avoid preventable
conditions.
"Our members' health is our first priority, and our job is to
help ensure they get the right care at the right time in the most
appropriate setting," said Elizabeth
Miller, president, WellCare of Florida. "Too often our members with SMI are
using the emergency department for medical care. These members will
now have access to a behavioral health home that delivers
behavioral, medical and social supports at one location in a
coordinated manner."
"We are pleased to partner with WellCare of Florida to help improve the mental and
physical health for members with serious mental illness and to be
WellCare's first behavioral health home in Florida," said Peace River Center CEO
Bill Gardam. "People with common
problems like depression or addiction often also suffer from
medical complications, and many die far too early."
"In many cases, this happens because these illnesses make it
harder for people to focus on their other medical problems such as
diabetes or heart disease. Studies have shown that when people can
get all of their health care needs under one roof in a seamless,
well-coordinated way—a 'no wrong door' approach to care—they get
better results with improved satisfaction and compliance with
treatment recommendations, which results in improved quality of
life and lower medical costs," said Gardam.
As of March 31, 2017, WellCare
serves approximately 776,000 Medicaid members, of which 62,000
members are in the Florida Healthy Kids program, 99,000 Medicare
Advantage members, and 30,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan
members in Florida.
About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in
Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health
Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing
government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through
Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans,
to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical
needs. The company serves approximately 4.1 million members
nationwide as of March 31, 2017. For
more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website
at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at
https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.
About Peace River Center
Peace River Center (PRC) is a
private not-for-profit integrated community behavioral health
organization serving the residents of Polk, Highlands, and Hardee Counties for over 67 years. PRC serves
families in crisis, children and adults in need as well as the
severely and persistently mentally ill with 36 programs in 27
locations, including inpatient, outpatient, home-, school- and
community-based and mobile services. PRC also operates two domestic
violence shelters that serve victims of human trafficking and
domestic violence, a Rape Recovery and Resource Center, Primary
Health Care, Addiction Treatment Programs, and 24-hour Crisis lines
and Intervention to the communities it serves. For more information
about PRC, please visit the agency's website at
www.peacerivercenter.org
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SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.