Hospice recognized

Ohio’s Hospice and Pure Healthcare have been chosen as the preferred hospice and palliative care provider for the Aetna Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) program in Ohio.

Through the Medicare Advantage (MA) VBID model, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is testing a broad array of complementary health plan innovations designed to enhance the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries, reduce Medicare program expenditures and improve the coordination and efficiency of healthcare service delivery.

Aetna offers its Ohio members facing serious illness the VBID Compassionate Care Transitions program. Through this program, Aetna members are eligible to receive a number of supplemental benefits and can start hospice services while still receiving transitional concurrent care.

Aetna hospice patients are now able to continue their transitional concurrent care, and have access to monthly in-home support services, transportation services, meals and a personal emergency response system device. Aetna palliative patients also have access to transportation services, fall prevention items and a blood pressure cuff. An Aetna case manager is assigned to each patient. Ohio’s Hospice and Pure Healthcare will be working closely with each Aetna case manager to help guide patient care and services.

As Ohio’s Hospice looked to the future, it developed a new offering in healthcare — Pure Healthcare. “Through Pure Healthcare, we reset, refocused and fine-tuned the way we approach care to provide the very best quality of care to those living with chronic health conditions,” Wagner said.

Pure Healthcare is supported by palliative care experts. By providing individualized, person-centered education, supportive care and health services, it is maximizing the quality of life for individuals, enabling them to thrive and live independently.