Humana Inc. HUM has tied up with leading tech-enabled health services company Seniorlink, Inc. to launch a Virtual Care Team pilot. This deal will aid the company’s Medicare Advantage members to gain access to advanced care management. This six-month pilot program will comprise up to 250 Humana Medicare Advantage members and family caregivers in 34 states across the country.
The pilot enables Humana At Home care management teams to get in touch with Humana Medicare Advantage members and their families digitally so that the patients can feel at home and receive complete care within their comfort zones. Humana At Home mainly identifies and supports those Medicare Advantage members who suffer various chronic ailments, struggle with daily activities and are hospitalized frequently. It also lends support to the patient’s family members and caregivers.
Significantly, Seniorlink’s secure collaboration application Vella eases communication among care teams, family caregivers and members. Its helps eliminating hindrances related to interaction, which in turn, boosts engagement of a care team. Moreover, members and family caregivers find more satisfaction in this solution and even the overall cost of care is curtailed.
Notably, Seniorlink will be able to gain traction from this deal as it shares the same vision as Humana, which includes backing family caregivers and using advanced technology to improve health outcomes.
This move is in line with Humana’s strategic efforts to drive its Medicare business line as well as offer enhanced care to its members. In 2018, this business line contributed to 30% of the total revenue base, mainly on the back of the company’s solid operating initiatives.
Last month, the company entered into an agreement with McLaren Physician Partners (MPP) to develop in-network facilities for Humana Medicare Advantage members in Michigan, who are seeking treatment at the McLaren Health Care hospitals and outpatient facilities.
It consistently makes efforts to increase its Medicare membership, which is evident from its membership growth of 54% from 2013 to 2018. We expect all these initiatives to augur well for this business line.
Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have lost 18.4% in the past year, wider than its industry’s decline of 13.2%.
Date: September 19, 2019
Source: Yahoo