When Aetna, a CVS Health company (NYSE: CVS), announced 2020 Medicare Advantage (MA) offerings, the company set out to go beyond simply offering its members a list of benefits. Instead, the company wanted to take a more holistic approach to health, stressing that individuals’ social and personal needs play key roles in keeping them healthy. […]
As the health care system continues to move toward a value-based model, at-home care providers are eager to show their worth. Many hope to do that in part by coordinating with clinical and community partners to deliver holistic care and improved patient outcomes. But despite those ambitions, care coordination is easier said than done. “Projects […]
Grandkids-on-demand startup Papa has raised $10 million in Series A funding, pushing the Miami-based company’s total funding raised above $13 million. The recent investment round was led by Silicon Valley-area venture capital firm Canaan, with money also coming in from Sound Ventures, Y Combinator and Pivotal Ventures, a firm created by Melinda Gates. Past big-name […]
Despite Medicare Advantage (MA) plans being recently allowed to cover a wide variety of in-home services and supports, insurers have been slow to roll out new supplemental benefits. In 2019, only 3% of Medicare Advantage plans offered in-home care services, according to AARP. Some think the tides will turn in 2020 — but even then, […]
Sometimes a name doesn’t tell the full story. That’s the case for Arlington, Virginia-based Meals on Wheels, a meal-delivery service that does more than its name suggests. “In addition to a whole array of nutrition services, [Meals on Wheels] programs are doing in-home assessments,” Lucy Theilheimer, chief strategy and impact officer at Meals on Wheels, […]
Medicare Advantage plans could get even more flexibility to address social determinants of health for beneficiaries if Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has his way. In turn, that could mean even more opportunities for home care providers to offer and be reimbursed for services such as companion care, bathing, transportation and more. “Our […]
So far, health plans have been relatively tight-lipped about their strategies for offering in-home services and supports to members under expanded Medicare Advantage (MA) policies. They now appear to be finding their voice. On Wednesday, Aetna Medicare publicly announced for the first time it has teamed up with CareLinx and its nationwide network of more […]
One of the largest home care and community health organizations in the country has landed additional financial support to continue building out its home-based primary care and palliative medicine offerings. Holmdel, New Jersey-based Visiting Nurse Association Health Group announced in January that it had been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Parker Foundation to […]
Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Aetna — a CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) company — are joining forces on a new app. It uses the Apple Watch to help Aetna members hit their well-being goals and avoid negative health outcomes. The app — christened “Attain” — is yet another example of an insurer pursuing a creative […]
Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) is reportedly in talks with multiple private Medicare plans about its smart watch product and the role it can play in preventing negative health outcomes for older adults. Cupertino, California-based Apple released its redesigned and re-engineered Apple Watch toward the end of 2018. Among its features, the smart device boasts a […]