Dayton, Ohio (PRWEB) June 07, 2012
CareSource received a Pinnacle Award at the 2012 Ohio Association of Health Plan?s (OAHP) Annual Convention in May. CareSource won in the Community Outreach/Partnerships category for their involvement in design and administration of the Montgomery County Care (MCC) program. The Pinnacle Awards recognize the efforts of health plans to improve the quality of health care for Ohioans.
Montgomery County Care offers affordable primary care to low-income uninsured adults, ages 19 to 64, who don?t qualify for Medicaid. The program, launched in 2010, is made possible through a three-year allocation by the Montgomery County Human Services Levy, pro bono administrative resources by CareSource and a Signature Grant by the CareSource Foundation.
Currently the Montgomery County Care program serves nearly 2,700 Montgomery County residents.
?For the uninsured, out-of-pocket expense is a deterrent in seeking medical care, making a primary medical home out of reach,? explained Craig Thiele, M.D., Medical Director at CareSource. ?As a result, people often do not seek needed medical treatment or preventive care and may over use the emergency department to control chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes and asthma which ultimately drives up the cost of health care.?
?The Montgomery County Care program exemplifies our mission ? to serve the underserved ? by providing cost-effective health care for a very specific group of Montgomery County?s uninsured residents,? said Pamela Morris, President and CEO. ?By targeting this population we are helping to provide much needed support for those members right in our own back yard.?
MCC is a limited-benefit, pilot health service program for the medically uninsured ? a growing population in Montgomery County:
18.5%: Uninsured working-aged adults across Ohio; up 3% from 2003 (2010 Ohio Family Survey)
21,345: Adults who visited a government unemployment agency in Montgomery County in 2011 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
37,000: Unemployed adults ages 19-65 in Montgomery County (2010 United States Census)
OAHP invited all member plans to participate in the competition, which provided an opportunity for health plans to demonstrate what they are doing to provide exemplary care and service for their members and community. A panel of experts representing hospitals, doctors, businesses, consumer advocates and regulators judged the submissions and selected the winners.
About CareSource:
CareSource is a non-profit health plan founded on the principles of quality and service, delivered with compassion and a thorough understanding of the Medicaid consumer. By staying true to its mission of making a difference in the lives of underserved people by improving their health care, CareSource has become one of the largest and fastest growing Medicaid managed care plans in the nation and currently serves more than 880,000 Medicaid and Medicare Advantage consumers in Ohio.
With a strong focus on preventive care, CareSource utilizes a continuum of care model to members at all stages of health and illness. In addition to all required services, CareSource offers extra benefits such as a 24-hour nurse advice line, transportation to doctor’s appointments, and a variety of care management programs. For more information about CareSource, visit http://www.caresource.com.
About Ohio Association of Health Plans:
OAHP is a statewide trade association of companies providing health care benefits to more than 7 million Ohioans. The mission of the OAHP is to promote and advocate quality health care and access to a variety of affordable health care benefits for all Ohioans.
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