WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia, a member of the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies, hosted a leadership summit on Feb. 23 to develop strategies for the next iteration of Medicaid managed care. More than 80 participants — including community partners, local officials, and Medicaid members, as well as national experts in housing, community development, and disease and violence prevention — collaborated to develop workable solutions that address the most challenging social determinants of health.
Several strategies emerged from the session and AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia immediately began working on three of them:
- Improve the assessment and identification of social determinants of health, with special emphasis on homelessness, enabling health care providers to connect patients more quickly with appropriate housing supports and other services.
- Increase provider and community awareness about violence prevention and treatment resources, because numerous studies have shown that exposure to potentially traumatic events not only results in significant immediate health care costs, but also predisposes individuals to developing chronic illnesses.
- Leverage respite care facilities as a cost-effective way to meet the medical needs of people who are homeless by providing acute and post-acute medical care for individuals who are too ill or frail to recover from an illness or physical injury on the streets, but are not ill enough to be in a hospital.
AmeriHealth Caritas, a mission-driven health care organization with more than 30 years of experience serving those most in need, is helping to drive the national conversation about providing more effective and efficient care by examining critical societal, economic, and environmental factors that influence health. AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia is helping to lead that charge, working to turn ideas into real results within the District.
“AmeriHealth Caritas is proud to help lead a dialogue about health equity in the District of Columbia and across the nation,” said AmeriHealth Caritas Chairman and CEO Paul A. Tufano. “We have a 30 year track record of achieving results in communities that are acutely impacted by the social determinants of health. Our person-centered model of care not only provides access to quality health care, but also to the critical support services that build healthier communities, and pathways to prosperity.”
“The evolution of managed care is about doing more to meet people where they are: risk factors, such as homelessness and violence, undermine our efforts to promote individual wellness and cultivate stable communities,” said AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia Market President Karen Dale. “The goal is to leverage our collective expertise to unlock barriers in the current system and find ways we can work to improve health outcomes — locally and nationally.”
About AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia
AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia, a member of the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies, is a Medicaid managed care health plan that serves Medicaid recipients living throughout the District of Columbia. Headquartered in the District, AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia is a mission-driven company dedicated to helping members get care, stay well and build healthy communities. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritasdc.com.
About AmeriHealth Caritas
AmeriHealth Caritas is part of the Independence Health Group in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. AmeriHealth Caritas is one of the nation’s leaders in health care solutions for those most in need. Operating in 17 states and the District of Columbia, AmeriHealth Caritas serves more than 5.7 million Medicaid, Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) members through its integrated managed care products, pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy services, behavioral health services, and other administrative services. Headquartered in Philadelphia, AmeriHealth Caritas is a mission-driven organization with more than 30 years of experience serving low-income and chronically ill populations. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritas.com.
