Several advances being made by UnitedHealthcare in its Medicare Advantage coverage in Texas are seen as the future of health insurance, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage Texas CEO Chris Abbott tells News Radio 1200 WOAI that one of the advances involves what is called 'concierge' services for seniors enrolled in the program.
He says UnitedHealthcare 'navigators' will work with customers to help them cut through what is often confusing paperwork as they, for example, move from the emergency room to the hospital to the long term care facility and back home while dealing with a major illness.
"The days of just worrying about paying the claims are behind us," he said. "This is why we want to work with our members to help them through the process, and make sure nothing falls out along the way."
He says when each Medicare Advantage customer has a navigator, who will be either a trained professional or, in some cases, a nurse, they can rely on that person to handle the complex health insurance issues that seniors often face, and more.
"Making sure, for example, they actually have a meal once they have gone home," he said. "Making sure they are connected to social services in the community."
He says while hospitals and physicians are great at providing needed care in the medical setting, patients often are lost when it comes to navigating the world outside the medical setting, and that's where the 'navigators' will come into play.
The second advancement, Abbott says, is technical. He says tech will be used to provide early information on changes in a members' health status that could benefit from immediate attention.
He cites elderly patients with congestive heart failure, and a wireless scale will be provided to patients to check out their status on almost a real time basis.
"One of the first signs that a congestive heart failure patient might be starting to have some trouble is their weight will shoot up by six, seven, eight pounds very quickly," he said.
He says with the aid of the technical innovations, that patient can receive needed care immediately. He says in most cases, if a serious problem emerges, the technology will know about it before the patient, and that can allow prompt care when it can be less invasive and more likely to succeed.
Abbott says the innovations will spread nationwide and, if successful, may be extended to other UnitedHealthcare members as well.