COVID-19 has added strain and uncertainty to an already complex healthcare landscape, especially among providers serving higher-risk patients. Of particular concern is the ability to deliver care to older adults, who are one of the most vulnerable populations and who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Community-based care that allows patients to be cared for at home or in the least-intensive clinical setting possible is the preferred setting for members and their families—especially during this unprecedented crisis. Knowing that, Helion believed that additional flexibilities needed to be enacted across the home health network of one of its health plan customers to be best prepared for delivering care during the epidemic. Leveraging the relationships built through our Helion Arc technology and network management solutions, Helion was able to work closely with provider and health plan partners to remove roadblocks, rapidly adjust policies, and create care delivery strategies that supported high-quality care delivery while limiting the exposure of highest risk members and their providers.
Helion's work with provider and health plan partners to remove roadblocks and support optimal care delivery laid the groundwork for a rapid and agile response to the COVID-19 crisis. In less than two weeks, Helion had 17 providers who performed over 41% of total visits shift from face-to-face visits to tele-visits and remote monitoring with intermittent patient contact. And Helion’s network performance managers continue to work with participating providers to enable increased utilization of telemedicine capabilities.
This approach enabled the health plan to create a more capable and nimble network, enact changes to help mitigate risks, continue quality patient care, and build resiliency during this pandemic. It also enabled them to respond more proactively to future challenges and opportunities.
