National health care journal reports that care coordination model, used by AXIS Healthcare in UCare Complete, improves key life measures for people with physical disabilities

AXIS Healthcare’s unique disability care coordination model, available to members of UCare’s UCare Complete product, is improving key health care aspects of life for members according to a report published in the November 2007 edition of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (JHCPU) (18 [2007] pp. 887-901).

 According to the study results, published in an article titled “Consumer Evaluation of a Disability Care Coordination Organization,” people with disabilities benefiting from care coordination services provided by AXIS Healthcare through UCare Complete, were more likely to receive needed care and medical equipment; less likely to need rehabilitation therapies; more satisfied with the health care system; and more likely to have access to primary care.
 
UCare Complete was created by UCare and AXIS Healthcare through a program of the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) called Minnesota Disability Health Options (MnDHO). UCare Complete provides physically disabled adults with quality, coordinated health care delivered by a provider network created with input from a consumer panel of people with disabilities. Members also benefit from the support of a personal and experienced care coordinator, a nurse who partners with them to design an individualized care plan. AXIS provides care coordination for more than 900 working-age adults with physical disabilities, many of which are severe, such as spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy.

 The study: The longitudinal study was conducted by the report’s two authors: Susan Palsbo, Ph.D., a principal research associate at the Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability, College of Health and Human Services, at George Mason University; and Pei-Shu Ho, a senior research associate at Westat, Inc. Support for this study came from the Center for Health Care Strategies, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Education/National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

The study used consumer ratings of access and quality to measure outcomes in the UCare Complete program over a three-year period. The study’s main finding was that disability care coordination integrates medical and social care to improve the health, functioning, and independence of people with disabilities.

Results: Plan members reported statistically significant improvements in service coordination, patient education, system-wide disability competency, comprehensive assessment, health visit support, and self-direction of care.
Quality ratings showed increased significantly over two years, with the percentage of people rating the health system as excellent rising from 7 percent before enrollment to 44 percent after enrollment.
The percentage of people rating their primary care physicians as excellent rose from 18 percent before enrollment to 37 percent after enrollment. 

Over time, enrollees became more knowledgeable about the need for preventive health care services, were more likely to receive needed care and medical equipment, and had a reduced need for rehabilitation therapies.
Disability care coordination organizations can reduce disparities and improve access to care for this vulnerable population.
 “This study affirms that we are accomplishing the goals we established for this program,” said AXIS CEO Chris Duff. “The nature of our members’ health causes them to touch the health system more often than non-disabled people. By using our disability expertise and care coordination model, we help our members navigate an often chaotic path to health, and produce positive outcomes, satisfied customers, and an improved quality of life.”

 “The findings of this respected research study confirm that UCare Complete is making significant improvements in key quality-of-life areas for our members with physical disabilities,” said Nancy Feldman, UCare’s President and CEO. “Our UCare Complete partnership with AXIS Healthcare is reducing disparities, improving access to care, and empowering this population to manage complex health issues. We thank the remarkable clinics and care systems that deliver quality health care to our UCare Complete members, and we value the Minnesota Department of Human Services for its leadership in this field.”

 AXIS and UCare believe the potential for cost savings is significant. In Minnesota, people with disabilities comprise just over 19 percent of the overall Medicaid population, but account for about 50 percent of all state Medicaid expenses, or more than $2.5 billion*. This group is the only population in the Medicaid program whose members are not enrolled in a mandatory managed care program.

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source: U Care