In the era of value-based care and reimbursements, health providers and payers are seeking innovative ways to keep populations under their care healthy and out of hospital beds. A big part of this population health management approach is getting people to look after themselves, take their prescriptions and come in for preventative exams.
During this year’s HIMSS, I talked to Daniel Ferrara, CEO of WellCare Today, about how the company’s turnkey program is helping improve prescription adherence, reduce medical costs and improve the lives of a specific demographic of patients.
“Our focus has been on medication adherence, and we got very, very good results,” Ferrara said. “So we’ve extended our reach into the seniors’ market with the HealthAssist Watch.”
The HealthAssist Watch is a simple and intuitive solution for senior patients that is built around a Samsung smartwatch. Samsung collaborated with WellCare Today to customize the smartwatch’s interface to deliver the ideal experience for its users.
“Samsung smartwatches allow us to increase the capabilities tenfold,” he said. “They enable us to alert users when to take their medications, refill their medications and schedule medical exams.”
HealthAssist helps identify the reason for nonadherence and address the issues — individually and effectively — with a scripted and interactive exchange. The company has also added new possibilities for caregivers, enabling them to provide extended care to patients.
“The caregiver knows where [the patient] is located,” Ferrara said. “With the sensor capability and Bluetooth, it [in combination with other accessories] reads blood pressure, glucose and anything that has a relationship to risk and adverse medical events.”
WellCare Today oversees the full implementation of the program, from enrolling members in HealthAssist to the final ROI analysis.
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