Managed Care - November 2008 - (Page 44)

PLAN WATCH Molina Program Addresses Racial Disparity in Detroit Molina Healthcare of Michigan leans on education in effort to improve care for black men By Frank Diamond ware that minority populations consistently receive lower quality health care services, officials at Molina Healthcare of Michigan decided that they just couldn’t live with it anymore. In 2006, only 7 percent of the approximately 4,450 African-American males covered in its Medicaid plan got an annual exam. That won’t do, decided James Forshee, MD, the chief medical officer. “We really had a little bit of concern in telling A Good response generated Molina Healthcare of Michigan’s “Check Up or Check Out!” program, aimed at black men 21 to 64, showed impressive results in getting those patients into the exam room. The insurer was recognized by the NCQA for its efforts, and Molina plans to expand the effort to other areas of the state. The program, or something similar, should work for other health plans and markets that serve Medicaid recipients, say Molina officials. More screenings for variety of conditions 55.7% 2006 September 2008 48.7% 37.3% 24.6% 15.9% 10.9% 7.0% 8.6% 25.8% 17.4% Prevention Cholesterol exam Glucose Colorectal Prostate (50+ years) (40+ years) the world that we were at 7 percent,” says Forshee, “but we felt it was definitely the place where we should be focusing energy.” Molina worked with the minority health section of the Michigan Department of Community Health in coming up with “Check Up or Check Out!” — an intense educational effort targeting providers and patients. The focus is to link patients directly to their primary care physicians by reaching out in a culturally appropriate manner. The program, launched in January 2007, was recently named by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a recipient of an award for “recognizing innovation in multicultural health care.” The NCQA states that “Numerous studies have found that ethnic and racial minorities often receive lower quality health care than Caucasian patients, even when such factors as medical conditions, insurance, and economic status are equivalent.” Forshee knew where to direct the effort. Eighty percent of Michigan’s African-American males live in or near Detroit, which has the highest morbidity and mortality rates in the state. Members were provided with an introduction brochure with the doctor’s biography and photo. Personalized letters contained disease management information about prostate health, HIV prevention, and anger, among other things. A “health tips for men” palm card was mailed out at 60 and 75 days. Male Molina staff members made phone calls to remind participants to get their checkups. Now, about 25 percent of the black men 21 to 64 who participate get a checkup in which they are screened for cholesterol, glucose, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer. “One of the biggest barriers was that the men did not want to go in and see somebody they 44 MANAGED CARE / NOVEMBER 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managed Care - November 2008

Managed Care - November 2008 Editor’s Memo Contents News and Commentary Legislation & Regulation Letters Medication Management Compensation Monitor Do It Yourself for Less Biomarkers Promise, but Do They Deliver? Oncologists Complain About Drug Payment Consider Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Q&A: Keep Industry in the Game Formulary Files Plan Watch Tomorrow’s Medicine Outlook Respiratory Syncytial Virus Managed Care Considerations Contents Continuing Education Objectives RSV Disease in the Pediatric Population In the Trenches RSV Infection in the Adult Population Health Plan Medical Director Health Plan Pharmacy Director RSV Issues and Solutions Assessment/Evaluation/Certificate Request Post-Test

Managed Care - November 2008

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