It’s our privilege to work within the Massachusetts healthcare system and with MassHealth to help Massachusettsans live healthier lives.
As the largest Senior Care Options (SCO) plan in Massachusetts, we proudly serve more than 30% of the total SCO members in the state.
This includes low-income seniors age 65+ who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. Less than 7% of these members currently reside in a nursing home.
Improving wellness and health outcomes
When it comes to improving health outcomes for our members, we focus on quality and longevity. We understand that improving wellness in our communities entails strategic efforts to building health equity and consistently fostering diversity and inclusivity in what we do.
5 out of 5 Stars
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rated UnitedHealthcare® Senior Care Options (HMO D-SNP) 5 out of 5 Stars in its annual Star Quality Ratings for 2021.*
To help beneficiaries, their families and caregivers compare plans, CMS calculates Star ratings from 1 to 5 (with 5 being the best) based on quality and performance. CMS rates 400 Medicare health and drug plans nationally. Scoring includes HEDIS, member surveys and other quality measures. The rating reflects how well we serve our members.
*Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system. Star Ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next. For more information on Star Ratings, visit medicare.gov.
Emphasizing a personalized care experience
There is no such thing as a broad approach when it comes to our member health experiences. Personalizing how we engage with new members is integral to the quality of care we provide.
Expanding value-based care and strong provider partnerships
We work for enhanced and deeper provider partnerships through value-based contracting, including Home and Community-Based Service (HCBS) providers and Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs). This enhancement to our clinical model allows us to have a member-centered approach in caring for our members while continuing to meet them where they are, resulting in effectively coordinated care.
Engaging communities to improve health
We address social determinants of health (SDOH) needs by reviewing claims data, provider referrals and direct feedback from our members. The valuable information this provides is the ultimate guide to determine where investments will be made to meet the needs of special populations.
Family caregiver advocates
At UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, our family caregiver advocates are dedicated to supporting informal caregivers by:
- Providing 1:1 coaching to self-identify areas of support
- Consulting clinical team as appropriate (i.e. ensuring alignment with individualized plan of care)
- Sharing resources and recommendations including community-based entities, programs, articles and more
- Following up with caregivers to discuss progress and offer additional support as needed
“It was great and useful. The information was helpful for education, support, and understanding. It really makes a difference to have someone there as a support.”
- From a caregiver helped by the family caregiver advocates program
Health Equity Committee
We have developed and integrated a Health Equity Committee (HEC) into our formal governance structure. The HEC mission is to positively change the culture and way of doing business at our health plan in order to make the member experience more equitable. As such, the HEC has created a structured process to:
- build awareness for matters of inequity impacting members
- use this awareness to develop appropriate interventions for addressing these inequities
Such inequities pertain to matters of race, ethnicity, financial and housing stability, geography, access, and identity.
To date, the HEC has expanded data collection on race, ethnicity, language and gender, measured disparate disease prevalence for COVID-19, and improved multilingual member support. Currently, the HEC is developing an intervention to address food insecurity and will focus its efforts on implementation in 2021.
Community involvement
Partnerships
We believe compassion and respect are essential components of a successful health care company. That is why we remain committed to developing community partnerships that drive improved health and social outcomes. These partnerships provide important education and events for the communities we serve, including:
- Seniors-only food pantries
- Workshops focused on Living Well with Diabetes
- Walk to End Alzheimer’s with a caregiver support booth
- Walk to End Elder Isolation by FriendshipWorks
- Caregiver support booths with introductions to the caregiver support program
- Elder music and dance group activities
- Relaxation and self-care seminars in senior housing
- Painting workshops for seniors
- English as a second language classes with elder services agencies
- Computer/laptop donations
Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan to put our core values into action. In addition to meeting the needs of our members through increased engagement, we worked with providers and communities to identify and support their needs. Some of these initiatives included:
- A $30,000 grant to the Greater Boston Food Bank to support COVID-19 emergency relief
- 135,000 reusable cloth masks to community partners including food banks, homeless shelters, FQHCs, and community agencies
- 82,000 meals to 1,950 UnitedHealthcare SCO members facing food insecurity and unable to access community resources
- More than 2,625 units of hand sanitizer to community-based organizations
- 100 thermometers to our housing partner 2Life Community and an additional 100 thermometers to the Greater Lawrence Health Center
- More than 150 blankets to various community-based organizations
- Volunteering time and resources to assist with testing for COVID-19
Year in review
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Massachusetts marked a number of commitments realized in 2022, from expanding access to care to improving social determinants of health to bringing communities together. Take a look back at the year and the successes and strides we will continue building on in 2023 to ensure all of our members live healthier lives.
