ConnectiCare Announces “Peace of Mind” Initiative to Support Members during COVID-19 Pandemic
ConnectiCare, one of the region’s leading health plans, recently launched its “Peace of Mind” initiative to provide members with additional support during the coronavirus pandemic. ConnectiCare nurse care managers are calling members who may be more vulnerable to the coronavirus due to medical conditions or their age and giving them critical information to help keep them safe. ConnectiCare’s service team is making similar calls to members that have previously visited a ConnectiCare center.
“Our nurse care managers are checking in on members to see how they’re doing, offering helpful, individualized information, and seeing if they need assistance with anything,” said Dr. Wayne Rawlins, ConnectiCare’s Chief Medical Officer. “Our clinical team, including social workers, have strong community relationships that enhance our ability to connect members with additional resources. We’re not only able to provide our members with guidance on health insurance during this critical time, but can also offer help with needs that fall into the social determinants of health category.”
The Peace of Mind initiative, led by Karen Eckert, RN, Vice President, Clinical Operations at ConnectiCare, has called nearly 10,000 members who may be at heightened risk for COVID-19 and has assisted with a variety of needs ranging from prescription drugs to billing questions and telemedicine services to dealing with stress and anxiety caused by the member’s current situation.
Below are some of the additional ways that ConnectiCare is helping members during the pandemic:
- Encouraging members who feel ill to contact their doctors
- Covering COVID-19 testing with no copayments or cost-sharing for patients who meet CDC guidelines
- Covering the office visit related to testing including a walk-in visit or emergency department visit with no copayments or cost-sharing for patients who meet CDC guidelines
- Covering telehealth visits for covered medical and mental health services at no cost through May 31, 2020
- Note: Telehealth may not be clinically appropriate for all covered services or offered by all providers. Self-funded plans may have different telehealth benefits.
- Increasing prescription drug refills to cover 90-day supplies of many maintenance drugs
- Streamlining authorization processes for home health care services, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), long-term acute care hospitals (LTACH) and acute rehabilitation
- Extending preauthorization requests that have already been approved for members by an additional 90 days
- Extending premium grace periods for fully-insured commercial groups, Exchange and SOLO members
- Releasing members with referral plans (“Passage” plans) from requirements to have primary care provider (PCP) referrals to some specialists
- Closing our ConnectiCare centers to visitors to promote social distancing
- Regularly updating a dedicated webpage including the latest facts and guidance
- Sharing useful information through social media channels, including video messages, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn
- Sending regular informational emails to members and posting helpful information to the ConnectiCare blog
- Providing assistance through the 1-800-251-7722 toll-free member services line
Visit ConnectiCare.com for more information on how the health plan is helping members and communities navigate the coronavirus outbreak.
About ConnectiCare
ConnectiCare is a leading health plan in the region. A local company for more than 38 years, ConnectiCare has a full range of products and services for businesses, municipalities, individuals and those who are Medicare-eligible. By striving to make it easy for members to get the care they need, ConnectiCare leads the individual market in the state. ConnectiCare is a subsidiary of EmblemHealth. For more information, visit connecticare.com. To learn about ConnectiCare’s health insurance plans, visit chooseconnecticare.com.
