Proteus Digital Health®, Inc. announced today a multi-year, outcomes-based initiative with the state of Tennessee’s Medicaid program, TennCare. Building on recent evidence that Proteus’ digital medicines may help reach underserved populations, this collaboration will support TennCare-covered patients undergoing Hepatitis C treatment to achieve a cure through improved medication adherence and stronger connections to their care teams.
TennCare Medicaid Outcomes-Based Initiative Overview
TennCare is the state of Tennessee’s Medicaid program which provides health insurance to approximately 1.4 million low-income Tennesseans including pregnant women, children, caretaker relatives of dependent children and older adults, and adults with disabilities.
Under the terms of this contract, Proteus will only receive payment from TennCare if a patient on digital medicine therapy successfully completes treatment and is cured. There is no additional cost to patients or providers. Proteus is currently enrolling healthcare organizations in Tennessee to participate in the initiative. Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, enabling healthcare teams to effectively engage and connect with patients remotely through tools like Proteus Discover can have significant benefit in improving health outcomes.
“The Proteus initiative allows TennCare to continue strengthening its Hepatitis C treatment efforts through an innovative, value-based outcomes approach,” said Dr. Victor Wu, Chief Medical Officer of TennCare. “Hepatitis C can be a curable disease when patients complete a full course of therapy. However, social factors may create challenges for individuals to seek care or be adherent to a full course of therapy. We are eager to support our members and providers who are interested in using Proteus’ digital medicines as a tool to increase successful completion of Hepatitis C treatment.”
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Proteus is also collaborating with patient advocacy leaders to gather feedback and recommendations to shape the initiative in Tennessee. Teresa Davidson, Director of the American Liver Foundation’s Mid-South Division shared “There are many misperceptions regarding treatment eligibility criteria, which has hindered patient access to care. Proteus’ initiative could address some of these concerns and ultimately benefit patients across the state, and possibly the country.”
Proteus Board Member and Former United States Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin commented,
“Proteus partnered with the innovative TennCare team, giving low-income patients access to these expensive treatments. This should improve outcomes and decrease long term costs. More importantly, with simplified pre-authorizations, Proteus Discover is allowing more patients the opportunity for an actual cure. I look forward to seeing this model expand to more Medicaid programs across the country.”
Source: HIT Consultant
