Jacksonville, Fla. – Shands Jacksonville has joined Florida: A Healthy State, a new statewide program aimed at helping Medicaid patients better manage their chronic medical conditions.
Sponsored by Pfizer Inc. and Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the program provides community-based care management and health education interventions for eligible Medicaid patients with asthma, diabetes and hypertension. Shands Jacksonville represents one of 10 hospitals participating across the state.
Approximately 600 northeast Florida Medicaid patients are eligible for the care management program. Under the supervision of their primary care physician, patients will interact with care managers as needed via phone calls and personal visits to answer questions and review health issues, such as nutrition, exercise, smoking, and the importance of taking prescription medications. A toll-free, 24-hour hotline for health-related questions will be answered by registered nurses.
“The goal of this initiative is for patients to take an active role in managing their own health while reducing the amount of time they spend receiving care in the emergency room,” says Bernard Cohen, MD, Shands vice president of managed care. “Our three specially trained case managers will routinely monitor each participating patient’s condition and provide them with one-on-one education and care on a scheduled and as needed basis.”
To be eligible for the program, patients must be enrolled in Florida Medicaid’s traditional primary care case management program, MediPass. Currently, Florida has 1.9 million Medicaid recipients, including more than 620,000 MediPass participants. Approximately 50,000 MediPass patients statewide are expected to qualify for the program.
“I am pleased that Shands Jacksonville has agreed to join the Florida: A Healthy State program,” says Rhonda Medows, M.D., AHCA secretary. “Institutions such as Shands Jacksonville bring a wealth of experience and resources necessary to provide the type of patient services the program offers.”
“Patients in northeast Florida really benefit from having such a high-caliber hospital participating in the program,” comments Stephanie Spoerl, senior director of state initiatives at Pfizer. She says providing a community-based approach to care management reflects Pfizer’s commitment to improving personalized healthcare for Medicaid patients in the northeast Florida region and the state as a whole.
AHCA and Pfizer have established a special toll-free number for patients and health care professionals who want to learn more about the program: 1-866-788-6767.