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Medicare Adds Nearly 14,000 Beneficiaries to Doctor House Call Project With Care Level Management

Posted on: Thursday, 24 August 2006, 12:00 CDT

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Care Level Management announced today that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have added 13,600 chronically ill beneficiaries to the demonstration project. Beginning September 2006, the new group of qualified beneficiaries will be invited to participate in the company's doctor house call system of care, the Personal Visiting Physician(TM).

In September 2005, Medicare awarded Care Level Management a three-year pilot project for its Personal Visiting Physician delivery system to test the effects of increased access and quality of care to chronically ill elderly, and to study the effects of doctor house calls on cost savings to Medicare.

The Personal Visiting Physician doctor house call system of care provides patients with direct, 24-hour access to a physician who can provide in-home care anytime, day or night, as needed. This level of patient-centric, physician-directed care is designed to improve the quality of care for the most chronically ill, frail patients, representing approximately up to 2 percent of Medicare beneficiaries. By optimizing care in the home, the Personal Visiting Physician is able to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency room visits, thereby reducing costs to the patient, the taxpayer and the health care system.

As of August 2006, nearly 5,500 selected beneficiaries have enrolled in Medicare's project with Care Level Management and been provided with the option of 24-hour access to in-home care by a physician. Medicare has continually evaluated the benefits of Care Level's house call service in terms of the quality of care provided to beneficiaries and the impact on the cost of care for this chronically ill elderly population.

"We are pleased to continue this demonstration project with Medicare on an expanded group of qualified beneficiaries. We are excited about the opportunities for demonstrating the long term effectiveness of this delivery system on quality and cost of healthcare," said Oliver Goldsmith, M.D., president of Care Level Management.

As part of Medicare's Care Management for High Cost Beneficiaries (CMHCB) demonstration, the project will continue to be performed at no additional cost beyond patients' traditional fee-for-service Medicare benefits and all of the patients' Medicare benefits remain the same.

Key Facts: - As of October 2005, 15,000 qualified beneficiaries in California (statewide), San Antonio, Texas and the Orlando/Melbourne area of Florida were selected by Medicare for the pilot project. - Medicare's selection criteria for qualified beneficiaries included patients with two chronic illnesses (co-morbidities) with a history of at least two hospitalizations within the past 12 months. - Medicare estimates that chronically ill elderly make up only 3-5 percent of beneficiaries, or approximately 1.5 million Americans. - This top 5 percent uses 43 percent of total Medicare costs, primarily through hospitalization. - Care Level Management is the first company contracted with Medicare for a demonstration project to study the impact of providing 24-hour access to doctor house calls to chronically ill elderly. - With managed care operations in six major cities across the nation, the Personal Visiting Physician delivery system has historically reduced acute hospital admission by an average of 60 percent, resulting in an average net savings of 30 percent in institutional costs alone. How the Personal Visiting Physician Delivery System Works: * Patients are assigned to and given their Personal Visiting Physician's cell phone number providing them direct, 24/7 access to a physician with intimate knowledge of their condition. * In addition to routine home visits, the Personal Visiting Physician is available to come to the patient's home at any hour of the day, any day of the week. * This doctor house call system overcomes many of the obstacles these patients have to seeing a doctor such as transportation and impacted physician office schedules. * Conducting the physical exam in the comfort of the home reduces patient anxiety and creates the foundation for a more productive and personal doctor-patient relationship. * Optimizing the patient's health status in the home helps avoid unnecessary ER visits and hospitalizations and reduces the patient's direct health care costs including co-pays, co-insurance and other fee-for-service expenses related to hospitalization. About Care Level Management:

Care Level Management developed a better way of delivering health care by returning to an old fashioned idea: the doctor house call. The Personal Visiting Physician system of care provides 24/7 access to in-home physician care. Combining the highest-level of care (doctors) and the widest possible access (house calls available 24/7), Care Level reduces unnecessary and costly hospitalizations and ER visits. Patients enjoy an improved quality of care with direct cell phone access to their Personal Visiting Physician, who can come to their home to provide comfort and care when needed -- all at no additional cost to the patient.

By benefiting both the patient and the tax payor, Care Level delivers a win-win for everyone involved in the health care process. With improved care and reduced costs, public and private payers have the opportunity to provide better services at lower costs to employers, patients and other beneficiaries. With operations throughout California, Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas Care Level Management's innovative health care model offers a solution to America's public health crisis that puts the patient first. For more information, please visit http://www.carelevel.com/.

Care Level Management

CONTACT: Lisa Spicer, +1-818-785-5287, lisaspicer@carelevel.com, forCare Level Management

Web site: http://www.carelevel.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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