XLHealth Invites Over 5,000 Additional Medicare Beneficiaries to Participate in Tennessee’s Medicare Health Support Program
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ — XLHealth, one of the nation’s leading disease management companies, is inviting approximately 5,600 additional Medicare beneficiaries to participate in Tennessee’s Medicare Health Support pilot program. Originally launched in January 2006, the Tennessee program provides a select group of Medicare beneficiaries living with diabetes and/or heart failure free education and support services to help them manage their conditions and maintain their health.
As part of established Medicare Health Support protocol, after the first year of operations, each organization operating a Medicare Health Support program receives the option to invite additional beneficiaries to account for the percentage of the original invitees that were either unreachable, became ineligible, or joined a Medicare Advantage program over the course of the year. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently sent letters to approximately 5,600 Medicare beneficiaries in Tennessee, letting them know that they have been selected to participate in the program being operated by XLHealth.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer this unique program to additional beneficiaries,” said Paul Serini, executive vice president for XLHealth. “Only one year after the launch of services, we’ve seen many of our participants living with chronic illness take charge of their health and make dramatic lifestyle changes, in many cases reducing the incidence of complications typically associated with their conditions.”
As part of their participation in the program, each beneficiary is assigned an XLHealth Personal Support Team comprising a local program manager, personal support nurse, telephone coach nurse and local pharmacist – all of whom will work to support the participant’s physicians’ care plan. The program will not restrict access to physicians and will make additional services available, such as:
— preventive screenings — home nursing visits as needed — health education and coaching — care plans and goal reports that empower participants to work with their physicians to achieve optimal care — assistance with healthcare devices and equipment — reminders for lab tests, eye exams and other essential services — nutrition and depression evaluation and support — support groups and personal counseling
XLHealth is one of only eight organizations selected by CMS to operate one of the regional Medicare Health Support pilot programs, which are designed to improve the health and wellness of Medicare beneficiaries with one or more health conditions. The programs are scheduled to run for three years and, if they are shown to be successful, CMS may expand the programs, possibly nationwide.
Starting January 2, 2007, XLHealth began contacting newly invited beneficiaries to determine their interest in participating. Beneficiaries invited to participate can call (877) 717-2247 for additional information.
About Medicare Health Support
XLHealth’s Medicare Health Support pilot program (http://www.xlhealthmhs.com/) offers free health support services to approximately 20,000 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in Tennessee with one or more chronic health conditions. One of only eight organizations nationwide selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to operate a three-year regional pilot program, XLHealth has developed a unique plan that provides each participant with an XLHealth Personal Support Team to support his or her doctor’s care plans and provide a variety of additional services that make day-to-day health management easier and more effective. XLHealth’s Medicare Health Support program is supported by the Tennessee Medical Association.
About XLHealth
XLHealth (http://www.xlhealth.com/) has been at the forefront of disease management innovation since its inception. Founded by physicians, many of whom were affiliated with Johns Hopkins, XLHealth supplements the more customary remote telephone “call-center” or direct mail support with ongoing, face-to-face meetings with nurses and physicians. XLHealth’s disease management programs provide participating physicians with care collaboration fees and actionable patient reporting. The company’s approach improves health outcomes for Medicare recipients while offering valuable time-saving assistance to the practitioner in delivering needed care. XLHealth recently earned Full Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) under its standards for patient and practitioner-oriented accreditation of disease management programs.
XLHealth
CONTACT: Kristin Brunnworth for XLHealth, +1-410-962-6447, E-mail:klb@planitagency.com
Web site: http://www.xlhealth.com/http://www.xlhealthmhs.com/