1 00:00:00,399 --> 00:00:02,480 Hello, everyone. This is Jacob Emerson with the 2 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:05,359 Becker's Pay Your Issues podcast. Thrilled today to 3 00:00:05,359 --> 00:00:08,820 be joined by AmeriHealth Caritas' Ohio market president, 4 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:11,119 Mark Grippi. Mark, thanks so much for taking 5 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:12,559 the time to be with me on the 6 00:00:12,559 --> 00:00:13,380 podcast today. 7 00:00:14,004 --> 00:00:15,605 Thanks, Jacob. I'm glad to be here, and 8 00:00:15,605 --> 00:00:17,304 I'm really looking forward to the conversation. 9 00:00:17,844 --> 00:00:20,085 Yeah. Likewise, Mark. And before we dive into 10 00:00:20,085 --> 00:00:21,765 everything, we wanna talk with you about a 11 00:00:21,844 --> 00:00:22,504 an exciting, 12 00:00:22,884 --> 00:00:25,364 new initiative happening at the company. Can you 13 00:00:25,364 --> 00:00:27,064 tell us a little bit more about yourself, 14 00:00:27,230 --> 00:00:29,070 your background in health care, and what it 15 00:00:29,070 --> 00:00:31,649 is that you do today at AmeriHealth Caritas? 16 00:00:33,149 --> 00:00:35,469 Sure. So my name is Mark Grippi. I 17 00:00:35,469 --> 00:00:38,530 am the Ohio market president for AmeriHealth Caritas. 18 00:00:39,164 --> 00:00:41,405 We are one of the Medicaid managed care 19 00:00:41,405 --> 00:00:43,585 plans that the state of Ohio has selected, 20 00:00:44,125 --> 00:00:45,265 to deliver benefits, 21 00:00:45,725 --> 00:00:47,984 to some point 2,600,000 22 00:00:48,445 --> 00:00:50,784 members across Ohio, and we have a subset 23 00:00:51,085 --> 00:00:53,984 of that membership with with, with our plan. 24 00:00:54,850 --> 00:00:57,809 Delivering Medicaid as a managed care entity, you 25 00:00:57,809 --> 00:00:58,309 often 26 00:00:58,609 --> 00:01:00,949 tend to lump us into the larger conversation 27 00:01:01,009 --> 00:01:04,689 of health insurance, but Medicaid managed care is 28 00:01:04,689 --> 00:01:05,989 nuanced. It's different. 29 00:01:06,450 --> 00:01:08,454 I often consider the work that we do 30 00:01:08,454 --> 00:01:10,534 to be more social services and we just 31 00:01:10,534 --> 00:01:12,875 happen to pay claims for a living. So 32 00:01:13,495 --> 00:01:16,534 our jobs are really to connect with the 33 00:01:16,534 --> 00:01:19,415 community to really make investments and understand the 34 00:01:19,415 --> 00:01:19,915 needs 35 00:01:20,230 --> 00:01:22,250 of those living in poverty, both 36 00:01:22,950 --> 00:01:25,510 in one state or our larger company where 37 00:01:25,510 --> 00:01:27,689 we operate in close to 13 states. 38 00:01:28,229 --> 00:01:28,729 And 39 00:01:29,430 --> 00:01:30,250 that role 40 00:01:30,709 --> 00:01:32,469 is pretty important to us. A lot of 41 00:01:32,469 --> 00:01:33,769 us started our career 42 00:01:34,150 --> 00:01:34,810 in healthcare 43 00:01:35,805 --> 00:01:38,284 services. Like I started my career in hospitals 44 00:01:38,284 --> 00:01:41,084 and nursing homes, actually being a provider. And 45 00:01:41,084 --> 00:01:43,484 it wasn't only after I really wanted to 46 00:01:43,484 --> 00:01:45,644 learn about how can I make an impact 47 00:01:45,644 --> 00:01:47,265 to much broader populations 48 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,000 that I decided to come over to to 49 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:51,459 Medicaid managed care? 50 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:52,740 My role 51 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,700 at, at the plan is is pretty simple. 52 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:57,700 I work very closely, 53 00:01:58,719 --> 00:02:00,819 to develop strategy with our team 54 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:01,620 and 55 00:02:02,275 --> 00:02:05,075 bring great people that are extremely passionate about 56 00:02:05,075 --> 00:02:07,075 making a difference in the lives of others 57 00:02:07,075 --> 00:02:10,034 together. And I clear barriers and I let 58 00:02:10,034 --> 00:02:12,055 them get to work and do their thing. 59 00:02:12,594 --> 00:02:15,314 But it's an amazing opportunity that we have 60 00:02:15,314 --> 00:02:18,049 to work with such a deserving population. 61 00:02:19,310 --> 00:02:22,189 Absolutely. It sounds like such impactful work that's 62 00:02:22,189 --> 00:02:23,569 going on under your leadership, 63 00:02:23,870 --> 00:02:25,810 Mark. And I wanted to 64 00:02:26,269 --> 00:02:28,189 dive right in today and talk a little 65 00:02:28,189 --> 00:02:28,849 bit about 66 00:02:29,229 --> 00:02:30,610 a really unique initiative, 67 00:02:33,175 --> 00:02:34,294 something, I I've never heard of, happening within 68 00:02:34,294 --> 00:02:35,835 the industry before. Yeah. 69 00:02:36,135 --> 00:02:38,615 It's a mobile gaming platform that the company 70 00:02:38,615 --> 00:02:41,254 launched earlier this year to address long standing 71 00:02:41,254 --> 00:02:44,474 gaps in Medicaid member care and and engagement 72 00:02:44,615 --> 00:02:45,514 with those members. 73 00:02:45,870 --> 00:02:47,629 So for our audience that that isn't familiar 74 00:02:47,629 --> 00:02:49,069 at all with this, can you can you 75 00:02:49,069 --> 00:02:50,750 share some details with us? What is this 76 00:02:50,750 --> 00:02:51,250 program? 77 00:02:51,790 --> 00:02:53,389 Where did this all come about? And and, 78 00:02:53,389 --> 00:02:55,629 ultimately, what is the company hoping to achieve 79 00:02:55,629 --> 00:02:56,290 through it? 80 00:02:56,990 --> 00:02:58,510 Sure. You know, I I think before I 81 00:02:58,510 --> 00:03:00,030 answer that, Jacob, I have to ask you 82 00:03:00,030 --> 00:03:01,425 a question. Sure. 83 00:03:01,805 --> 00:03:02,685 So let's say, 84 00:03:03,324 --> 00:03:05,745 something amazing happens in your life. 85 00:03:06,604 --> 00:03:08,925 You and your partner may be expecting a 86 00:03:08,925 --> 00:03:11,164 child in your life or, you know, maybe 87 00:03:11,164 --> 00:03:13,425 the opposite of amazing as you've been informed 88 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,539 that you have a medical condition that's serious. 89 00:03:17,719 --> 00:03:19,719 Are you gonna tell your family and your 90 00:03:19,719 --> 00:03:22,780 closest friends first after you digest that information, 91 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:24,280 or do you think you're gonna pick up 92 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:26,280 the phone and say, hey. Hey, insurance company. 93 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:27,719 This just happened to me. I just wanted 94 00:03:27,719 --> 00:03:28,634 to tell you about it. 95 00:03:29,275 --> 00:03:31,114 That's a good question, and I I think 96 00:03:31,114 --> 00:03:32,794 you know the answer, but, certainly, I can 97 00:03:32,794 --> 00:03:33,454 go towards, 98 00:03:33,834 --> 00:03:34,814 family and friends. 99 00:03:35,114 --> 00:03:37,294 Well, I that's what we encounter every day. 100 00:03:37,354 --> 00:03:40,014 The irony of of our in biz business 101 00:03:40,074 --> 00:03:42,210 is that some of the most important things 102 00:03:42,210 --> 00:03:44,949 that we do are dependent on us engaging 103 00:03:45,090 --> 00:03:45,830 our membership 104 00:03:46,210 --> 00:03:47,990 and keeping them engaged. 105 00:03:49,250 --> 00:03:51,810 The irony is is that that's also one 106 00:03:51,810 --> 00:03:52,870 of our biggest challenges. 107 00:03:53,245 --> 00:03:56,125 Mhmm. It is difficult with people living in 108 00:03:56,125 --> 00:03:56,625 poverty 109 00:03:57,325 --> 00:03:59,805 to always keep the most up to date 110 00:03:59,805 --> 00:04:00,705 contact information. 111 00:04:01,405 --> 00:04:03,165 You know, when you're you're living on a 112 00:04:03,165 --> 00:04:04,685 couple dollars a day and you have to 113 00:04:04,685 --> 00:04:06,444 worry about how do I feed my children 114 00:04:06,444 --> 00:04:08,490 or how do I pay rent, the last 115 00:04:08,490 --> 00:04:10,810 thing you think about is, oh, I have 116 00:04:10,810 --> 00:04:12,730 to go update my insurance company because I 117 00:04:12,730 --> 00:04:14,730 moved last month, or I have to go 118 00:04:14,730 --> 00:04:16,889 update the state because my my telephone number 119 00:04:16,889 --> 00:04:17,389 changed. 120 00:04:17,850 --> 00:04:19,689 And we started to see this in our 121 00:04:19,689 --> 00:04:20,189 data. 122 00:04:20,665 --> 00:04:22,264 And, you know, one of the the key 123 00:04:22,264 --> 00:04:25,564 things is that we saw single digit engagement 124 00:04:25,705 --> 00:04:29,145 levels, within, like, our applications. You know? I'm 125 00:04:29,145 --> 00:04:31,064 sure we all are familiar with the the 126 00:04:31,064 --> 00:04:33,405 insurance company app that has a big overwhelming 127 00:04:33,625 --> 00:04:36,160 directory or maybe some language in it that 128 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:37,919 says, well, you could do this or you 129 00:04:37,919 --> 00:04:39,300 might have this benefit. 130 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,600 So we realized that in order for us 131 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,660 to really be successful, and let's be clear, 132 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:49,600 success is improving outcomes for the people that 133 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:50,259 we serve, 134 00:04:51,285 --> 00:04:53,145 we needed to reach a broader population. 135 00:04:54,404 --> 00:04:55,944 We started to think about 136 00:04:56,485 --> 00:04:57,465 what do we do? 137 00:04:58,085 --> 00:04:59,845 We asked our members. I mean, that we 138 00:04:59,845 --> 00:05:00,504 had this 139 00:05:00,965 --> 00:05:02,339 this simple thought of 140 00:05:02,740 --> 00:05:05,139 we have an audience with our members. Let's 141 00:05:05,139 --> 00:05:07,139 ask them how do they go about their 142 00:05:07,139 --> 00:05:09,300 day. And we we learned that almost 70% 143 00:05:09,300 --> 00:05:10,040 of adults 144 00:05:10,660 --> 00:05:13,379 are using mobile games, and about forty five 145 00:05:13,379 --> 00:05:14,259 to 50% 146 00:05:14,259 --> 00:05:17,379 of those people are playing multiple times a 147 00:05:17,379 --> 00:05:18,764 week. And that's 148 00:05:19,144 --> 00:05:20,204 just how they've, 149 00:05:20,824 --> 00:05:23,404 how our culture has evolved and developed. And 150 00:05:23,625 --> 00:05:26,685 it's much easier to do minor course corrections 151 00:05:26,824 --> 00:05:29,785 versus to try to instill a brand new 152 00:05:29,785 --> 00:05:30,925 behavior in someone. 153 00:05:31,289 --> 00:05:32,750 So we developed this platform 154 00:05:33,209 --> 00:05:33,870 in cooperation 155 00:05:34,250 --> 00:05:35,550 with our partner Motive, 156 00:05:36,169 --> 00:05:39,129 and we put together the common everyday games 157 00:05:39,129 --> 00:05:42,329 that you play, Candy Crush, versions of Candy 158 00:05:42,329 --> 00:05:43,629 Crush, I should say, 159 00:05:44,089 --> 00:05:44,589 solitaire. 160 00:05:45,289 --> 00:05:45,789 And 161 00:05:46,725 --> 00:05:49,764 it's been a fantastic journey because what we're 162 00:05:49,764 --> 00:05:51,144 seeing is that 163 00:05:51,764 --> 00:05:54,345 people are already using this mode to communicate. 164 00:05:54,404 --> 00:05:57,044 So instead of talking at our members, we 165 00:05:57,044 --> 00:05:59,925 actually started opening a dialogue and speaking with 166 00:05:59,925 --> 00:06:00,584 our members. 167 00:06:01,580 --> 00:06:03,199 We developed and curated 168 00:06:04,460 --> 00:06:07,259 content that was specifically designed, you know, for 169 00:06:07,259 --> 00:06:10,220 the diabetic or someone suffering from chronic high 170 00:06:10,220 --> 00:06:12,779 blood pressure. And in between levels of the 171 00:06:12,779 --> 00:06:16,064 games, these these these, users went on missions. 172 00:06:16,225 --> 00:06:18,404 And they're instead of an advertisement, 173 00:06:18,785 --> 00:06:20,805 we supplement it with health care education. 174 00:06:21,425 --> 00:06:23,665 And that health care education turned into a 175 00:06:23,665 --> 00:06:27,045 conversation. They started answering valuable questions for us. 176 00:06:27,985 --> 00:06:29,925 One of the requirements that most 177 00:06:30,225 --> 00:06:31,205 plans have 178 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:33,420 is to do a health risk assessment. 179 00:06:34,439 --> 00:06:37,160 The assessment isn't isn't complicated, but it's the 180 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:39,879 foundation for population health. It's the foundation for 181 00:06:39,879 --> 00:06:41,420 us to get to know our members. 182 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:42,699 On average, 183 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:45,100 maybe 30%, 184 00:06:45,785 --> 00:06:48,264 is our response rate because, again, you're getting 185 00:06:48,264 --> 00:06:50,904 something from your insurance company, maybe or maybe 186 00:06:50,904 --> 00:06:53,064 not, you fill it out. We started to 187 00:06:53,064 --> 00:06:55,884 see rates as high as eighty two percent, 188 00:06:56,024 --> 00:06:58,524 seventy five percent were completing the whole assessment. 189 00:06:58,930 --> 00:07:00,769 I mean, this this is world class type 190 00:07:00,769 --> 00:07:03,649 of of outcomes. And it really was because 191 00:07:03,649 --> 00:07:04,149 we 192 00:07:04,529 --> 00:07:07,110 took a minute. We learned how to communicate 193 00:07:07,250 --> 00:07:08,069 with our members 194 00:07:08,769 --> 00:07:11,409 and, started delivering information in a way that 195 00:07:11,409 --> 00:07:14,004 they could digest. So I'll stop stop there 196 00:07:14,004 --> 00:07:15,365 on that. I'm I'm sure you might have 197 00:07:15,365 --> 00:07:15,944 a follow-up. 198 00:07:16,324 --> 00:07:18,165 Yeah. I mean, what a great idea, Mark, 199 00:07:18,165 --> 00:07:20,404 just listening to you explain this. 200 00:07:20,805 --> 00:07:21,625 Really just, 201 00:07:22,084 --> 00:07:24,564 seeing where your members or and what they 202 00:07:24,564 --> 00:07:26,805 were engaging with and then literally as as 203 00:07:26,805 --> 00:07:29,639 the health plan going to them. It's it's 204 00:07:29,639 --> 00:07:31,480 fantastic. And and like I said, I've never 205 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:33,800 heard of, any anybody else in the industry 206 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:35,879 doing something like this. So it's it's really 207 00:07:35,879 --> 00:07:36,379 innovative. 208 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:38,600 And and I have to ask because, you 209 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:40,199 know, I've seen some of the engagement metrics 210 00:07:40,199 --> 00:07:42,460 you've recorded so far with this initiative. 211 00:07:42,974 --> 00:07:45,854 Members have logged over logged in over 12,000 212 00:07:45,854 --> 00:07:47,774 times. They've said more than a 100 thousand 213 00:07:47,774 --> 00:07:51,094 minutes on the platform so far. So I 214 00:07:51,094 --> 00:07:52,894 I think, you know, drilling down to the 215 00:07:52,894 --> 00:07:54,574 to the core of this, Mark, how do 216 00:07:54,574 --> 00:07:56,495 you measure the impact of this engagement on 217 00:07:56,495 --> 00:07:57,794 actual health outcomes? 218 00:07:58,099 --> 00:07:59,300 And what are some of the long term 219 00:07:59,300 --> 00:08:02,099 benefits you're anticipating for both your members and 220 00:08:02,099 --> 00:08:03,319 and the health plan overall? 221 00:08:04,099 --> 00:08:06,019 You know, Jacob, I think when you start 222 00:08:06,019 --> 00:08:07,459 to look at some of the data and 223 00:08:07,459 --> 00:08:10,019 those those early numbers that that you just 224 00:08:10,019 --> 00:08:10,519 referenced, 225 00:08:10,979 --> 00:08:12,839 it becomes clear to me 226 00:08:13,204 --> 00:08:15,384 that our members truly care about their health. 227 00:08:15,685 --> 00:08:17,625 I think they're maybe a little bit skeptical 228 00:08:17,764 --> 00:08:19,444 about their health care and the health care 229 00:08:19,444 --> 00:08:20,504 delivery system. 230 00:08:20,884 --> 00:08:23,865 And that that's telling us that the opportunity 231 00:08:24,004 --> 00:08:25,925 is there to really make that difference. So, 232 00:08:25,925 --> 00:08:27,704 you know, how are we gauging success? 233 00:08:28,250 --> 00:08:30,330 You know, that that health risk assessment that 234 00:08:30,330 --> 00:08:31,949 I mentioned just a minute ago, 235 00:08:32,410 --> 00:08:33,870 when you can start to, 236 00:08:34,649 --> 00:08:36,809 get numbers in that seventy five to eighty 237 00:08:36,809 --> 00:08:38,190 percent of your total, 238 00:08:38,730 --> 00:08:39,230 population, 239 00:08:40,250 --> 00:08:41,870 completing a health risk assessment, 240 00:08:42,235 --> 00:08:45,274 we get such valuable information and we're able 241 00:08:45,274 --> 00:08:47,595 to engage them in a conversation because we're 242 00:08:47,595 --> 00:08:49,774 starting to build trust now with each other. 243 00:08:50,154 --> 00:08:52,174 And care management becomes 244 00:08:52,554 --> 00:08:55,274 a more likely possibility, allowing us to help 245 00:08:55,274 --> 00:08:55,774 them, 246 00:08:57,209 --> 00:09:00,089 connect them with with a physician because we've 247 00:09:00,089 --> 00:09:02,490 already developed that trust. We've identified that there 248 00:09:02,490 --> 00:09:04,350 might be some sort of a chronic condition 249 00:09:04,730 --> 00:09:06,809 or something else out there that they really 250 00:09:06,809 --> 00:09:09,289 need the help. And we can remove social 251 00:09:09,289 --> 00:09:09,789 barriers, 252 00:09:10,304 --> 00:09:11,845 to getting them that help. Transportation, 253 00:09:12,225 --> 00:09:14,225 we can provide them with with extra benefits 254 00:09:14,225 --> 00:09:15,284 and housing assistance, 255 00:09:16,065 --> 00:09:17,985 all of which they never would have known 256 00:09:17,985 --> 00:09:20,544 before because they weren't at a place where 257 00:09:20,544 --> 00:09:22,004 they they couldn't engage. 258 00:09:23,429 --> 00:09:25,690 But from a healthcare executive standpoint, 259 00:09:26,389 --> 00:09:29,350 I think it's important to recognize that we're 260 00:09:29,350 --> 00:09:31,690 starting to see early signs in our data, 261 00:09:31,909 --> 00:09:34,169 especially around behavioral health, that 262 00:09:34,595 --> 00:09:37,154 members with a behavioral health condition or some 263 00:09:37,154 --> 00:09:38,774 sort of substance use comorbidity 264 00:09:39,315 --> 00:09:41,254 that are engaged in this application, 265 00:09:41,715 --> 00:09:44,355 we're actually starting to see some early data 266 00:09:44,355 --> 00:09:46,274 that would suggest that there's a reduction in 267 00:09:46,274 --> 00:09:49,460 the total cost of care because they're adherence, 268 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:51,759 because of the fact that they're communicating with 269 00:09:51,759 --> 00:09:53,700 a health plan and we know, 270 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:55,919 what those barriers are for them and we're 271 00:09:55,919 --> 00:09:58,240 able to help, resolve them. And it's a 272 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:00,740 clear correlation between engagement 273 00:10:01,345 --> 00:10:04,065 and the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for 274 00:10:04,065 --> 00:10:04,725 our members. 275 00:10:05,424 --> 00:10:07,985 That's amazing. So you're you're really already seeing 276 00:10:07,985 --> 00:10:10,784 a real life impact, within your behavioral health 277 00:10:10,784 --> 00:10:12,544 space and in really quite a short amount 278 00:10:12,544 --> 00:10:13,205 of time. 279 00:10:13,899 --> 00:10:15,500 Correct. And and as I understand it, Mark, 280 00:10:15,500 --> 00:10:18,299 so the mobile gaming has replaced traditional ads 281 00:10:18,299 --> 00:10:20,639 and in in app purchases with more personalized 282 00:10:21,019 --> 00:10:21,840 health content 283 00:10:22,220 --> 00:10:23,759 reminders for your members. 284 00:10:24,220 --> 00:10:25,820 So can you share a little bit about 285 00:10:25,820 --> 00:10:27,820 how the the trivia and the health related 286 00:10:27,820 --> 00:10:29,134 contents that you're 287 00:10:29,514 --> 00:10:31,595 offering, how is that tailored to align with 288 00:10:31,595 --> 00:10:34,315 with the health plans population health strategy? And 289 00:10:34,315 --> 00:10:35,835 and how do you ensure this is really 290 00:10:35,835 --> 00:10:36,335 resonating, 291 00:10:37,115 --> 00:10:39,855 with with, a pretty diverse member base? 292 00:10:40,795 --> 00:10:42,715 Sure. So when we when we looked at 293 00:10:42,715 --> 00:10:44,309 doing this, you know, the way it works 294 00:10:44,309 --> 00:10:47,110 is that a member will download any one 295 00:10:47,110 --> 00:10:49,190 of the the dozen or so games that 296 00:10:49,190 --> 00:10:51,529 we have available, and then they have immediate 297 00:10:51,590 --> 00:10:53,590 twenty four seven access to the whole suite 298 00:10:53,590 --> 00:10:54,250 of games. 299 00:10:54,629 --> 00:10:56,250 And as they launch a game, 300 00:10:56,725 --> 00:10:57,785 it's already prepopulated 301 00:10:58,165 --> 00:10:59,065 with some information 302 00:10:59,605 --> 00:11:01,445 about the member. We we know some of 303 00:11:01,445 --> 00:11:02,825 their their chronic conditions, 304 00:11:03,764 --> 00:11:05,764 as well as some of their history. But 305 00:11:05,764 --> 00:11:08,004 as they start to answer those health risk 306 00:11:08,004 --> 00:11:08,504 questions, 307 00:11:09,649 --> 00:11:10,789 the games learn, 308 00:11:11,169 --> 00:11:13,330 and we provide that information to our partner 309 00:11:13,330 --> 00:11:13,830 motive 310 00:11:14,210 --> 00:11:16,049 on on what those chronic conditions are. So 311 00:11:16,049 --> 00:11:17,190 let's take a diabetic 312 00:11:17,809 --> 00:11:20,470 member, for example. As they're going through levels 313 00:11:20,850 --> 00:11:22,070 of candy crush, 314 00:11:22,975 --> 00:11:24,514 they come to 315 00:11:24,894 --> 00:11:26,894 a space between the level. It's going to 316 00:11:26,894 --> 00:11:27,715 ask them, 317 00:11:28,175 --> 00:11:30,274 have you exercised today? Or 318 00:11:30,735 --> 00:11:32,274 do you understand the importance 319 00:11:33,054 --> 00:11:33,554 of 320 00:11:33,934 --> 00:11:34,675 a diet 321 00:11:35,269 --> 00:11:37,590 on a daily basis for someone with a 322 00:11:37,590 --> 00:11:39,210 diabetic health condition? 323 00:11:39,830 --> 00:11:40,730 Are you exercising? 324 00:11:41,509 --> 00:11:44,470 And the amazing part is since we've started 325 00:11:44,470 --> 00:11:46,009 this journey with our members, 326 00:11:46,629 --> 00:11:48,524 those questions or those missions that they go 327 00:11:48,524 --> 00:11:50,764 on, one, can earn them tokens to unlock 328 00:11:50,764 --> 00:11:52,784 additional levels. And, you know, that definitely 329 00:11:53,164 --> 00:11:55,804 caters to our competitive nature, but it also 330 00:11:55,804 --> 00:11:58,524 allows them to unlock real life incentives. The 331 00:11:58,524 --> 00:12:00,444 more education they take on, the more that 332 00:12:00,444 --> 00:12:01,184 they connect 333 00:12:01,799 --> 00:12:04,120 to providers, they're actually able to earn some 334 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:06,700 additional incentives, which keeps people coming back. 335 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,240 I personally think the neatest thing is that 336 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:10,539 as they answer questions, 337 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,139 our system tracks their amount of right answers. 338 00:12:14,804 --> 00:12:18,184 And we've seen close to a 31% 339 00:12:18,325 --> 00:12:19,705 increase in health literacy 340 00:12:20,245 --> 00:12:21,705 with our targeted subpopulation 341 00:12:22,085 --> 00:12:24,884 since the beginning of the app. That's 31% 342 00:12:24,884 --> 00:12:25,384 people 343 00:12:25,924 --> 00:12:28,985 that now know today that diet and exercise 344 00:12:30,230 --> 00:12:33,029 and eating healthy overall is much more important 345 00:12:33,029 --> 00:12:35,370 to managing their diabetes than they understood 346 00:12:36,149 --> 00:12:37,110 when they first, 347 00:12:37,429 --> 00:12:40,089 joined this application. And that, again, 348 00:12:40,470 --> 00:12:42,250 improves outcomes for our members. 349 00:12:42,855 --> 00:12:44,634 Certainly. So it's this gamification 350 00:12:45,174 --> 00:12:47,095 of of health benefits, I think, is is 351 00:12:47,095 --> 00:12:49,414 fair to say. It it literally is closing 352 00:12:49,414 --> 00:12:51,174 care gaps, but it sounds like it's it's 353 00:12:51,174 --> 00:12:54,315 improving health literacy rates. It's really amazing. Absolutely. 354 00:12:54,789 --> 00:12:56,470 Absolutely. Let me let me circle back to 355 00:12:56,470 --> 00:12:58,149 some some numbers you had mentioned at the 356 00:12:58,149 --> 00:13:00,009 start of start of our conversation. 357 00:13:00,870 --> 00:13:03,750 89 of members have provided you with their 358 00:13:03,750 --> 00:13:06,549 email. Seventy five percent have completed health risk 359 00:13:06,549 --> 00:13:07,049 assessments. 360 00:13:07,509 --> 00:13:08,250 Yeah. So 361 00:13:08,585 --> 00:13:10,825 given that, I mean, clearly, those numbers point 362 00:13:10,825 --> 00:13:13,545 to real success here. How do you see 363 00:13:13,545 --> 00:13:15,644 mobile gaming as a scalable solution, 364 00:13:16,105 --> 00:13:18,105 that could be applied to other Medicaid populations 365 00:13:18,105 --> 00:13:19,004 across the country? 366 00:13:20,105 --> 00:13:21,465 So I think, you know, I'm I'm a 367 00:13:21,465 --> 00:13:23,725 big believer in the science of quality improvement. 368 00:13:24,029 --> 00:13:26,690 And, you know, the first thing that anyone 369 00:13:26,750 --> 00:13:28,750 really needs to do is understand their population 370 00:13:28,750 --> 00:13:31,549 and understand their data. And could this be 371 00:13:31,549 --> 00:13:32,209 an intervention 372 00:13:33,149 --> 00:13:34,110 or or or something that, 373 00:13:34,589 --> 00:13:35,970 could help improve outcomes, 374 00:13:36,350 --> 00:13:36,850 elsewhere? 375 00:13:37,225 --> 00:13:40,184 We're actually working to scale, this program now 376 00:13:40,184 --> 00:13:42,684 across our entire state and across all 377 00:13:43,144 --> 00:13:44,044 of our subpopulations. 378 00:13:45,225 --> 00:13:48,024 But it starts with just that ask and 379 00:13:48,024 --> 00:13:50,504 understanding of what are the needs of your 380 00:13:50,504 --> 00:13:51,384 members and, 381 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:54,720 do you have the capability to even test 382 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:57,519 this in small populations? If you're getting positive 383 00:13:57,519 --> 00:13:59,440 feedback, then you work to scale it. 384 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:00,740 An interesting, 385 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,080 side note that we're finding as we promote 386 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:05,779 this opportunity to our members 387 00:14:06,365 --> 00:14:08,445 is even though this is a digital solution 388 00:14:08,445 --> 00:14:09,985 that's finding a lot of success, 389 00:14:10,365 --> 00:14:12,384 the promotion of it, we're finding, 390 00:14:13,085 --> 00:14:16,205 that members have digital fatigue. Everybody's hitting people 391 00:14:16,205 --> 00:14:18,384 with text messages, email campaigns. 392 00:14:18,710 --> 00:14:20,809 We're actually finding that the good old fashioned 393 00:14:20,870 --> 00:14:23,429 snail mail where we're we're mailing postcards and 394 00:14:23,429 --> 00:14:26,149 we're meeting with people in the communities is 395 00:14:26,149 --> 00:14:28,629 a much better way to gain scale on 396 00:14:28,629 --> 00:14:30,090 on the product than just 397 00:14:30,549 --> 00:14:32,250 a a a one size digital solution. 398 00:14:33,115 --> 00:14:34,875 That's a really great call out there, Mark, 399 00:14:34,875 --> 00:14:36,154 that you have to actually go into your 400 00:14:36,154 --> 00:14:38,254 communities, meet with your members in person, 401 00:14:38,715 --> 00:14:41,195 versus, yeah, continuing the digital fatigue we're all 402 00:14:41,195 --> 00:14:42,174 very aware of. 403 00:14:43,355 --> 00:14:45,179 I think before we go, Mark, I wanna 404 00:14:45,259 --> 00:14:46,539 open the floor back up to you in 405 00:14:46,539 --> 00:14:48,620 terms of you've got the ears right now 406 00:14:48,620 --> 00:14:50,460 of a lot of other health plan leaders 407 00:14:50,460 --> 00:14:52,860 from from all over the country, many operating 408 00:14:52,860 --> 00:14:53,519 in Medicaid. 409 00:14:54,059 --> 00:14:55,500 What else do you wanna share with them 410 00:14:55,500 --> 00:14:57,659 on this topic or or final bits of 411 00:14:57,659 --> 00:14:59,235 advice that you wanna offer? 412 00:15:00,115 --> 00:15:02,355 You know, I I think when we look 413 00:15:02,355 --> 00:15:02,855 at, 414 00:15:03,315 --> 00:15:05,714 what our ultimate goal should be, and and 415 00:15:05,714 --> 00:15:06,774 that is to, 416 00:15:08,274 --> 00:15:10,914 really make investments into the people that we 417 00:15:10,914 --> 00:15:13,815 serve and to improve their their health outcomes. 418 00:15:14,399 --> 00:15:16,419 But it's not a one labor solution. 419 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:20,179 Improving the health and wellness, especially people, 420 00:15:20,559 --> 00:15:23,139 who are living on Medicaid is is complicated. 421 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:25,120 I wanna go back to a statement I 422 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:26,720 made earlier, and and I have to attribute 423 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:27,105 it, 424 00:15:28,144 --> 00:15:29,524 to Scott, the owner 425 00:15:30,065 --> 00:15:32,704 of our partner Motive here, is that remember, 426 00:15:32,704 --> 00:15:35,125 I think people do care about their health, 427 00:15:36,464 --> 00:15:39,105 but conditions both inside and outside of their 428 00:15:39,105 --> 00:15:42,144 home have really complicated their relationship with health 429 00:15:42,144 --> 00:15:45,289 care and certainly complicated their relationships with with 430 00:15:45,289 --> 00:15:47,470 health insurance, and it's made them skeptical. 431 00:15:48,889 --> 00:15:51,850 Involve your members in the conversation about what's 432 00:15:51,850 --> 00:15:52,830 best for them. 433 00:15:53,289 --> 00:15:56,429 Don't speak at them. Speak with them. 434 00:15:57,014 --> 00:15:59,815 Create programs and products that really fit into 435 00:15:59,815 --> 00:16:01,034 their daily life, 436 00:16:01,414 --> 00:16:04,214 and don't try to impose something that just 437 00:16:04,214 --> 00:16:07,334 doesn't fit. Remember, people living in poverty are 438 00:16:07,334 --> 00:16:09,654 living minute to minute, not week to week, 439 00:16:09,654 --> 00:16:11,355 month to month, or year to year. 440 00:16:12,169 --> 00:16:14,730 And we have to help guide people through 441 00:16:14,730 --> 00:16:16,029 this complex system, 442 00:16:16,490 --> 00:16:18,990 that we've created over long periods of time. 443 00:16:19,289 --> 00:16:21,450 I think if we can improve the process 444 00:16:21,450 --> 00:16:22,669 of health care delivery 445 00:16:23,129 --> 00:16:25,529 in such a way that it goes with 446 00:16:25,529 --> 00:16:26,990 the people that we're serving, 447 00:16:27,654 --> 00:16:29,735 you know, ultimately, it it has to lead 448 00:16:29,735 --> 00:16:32,075 to better outcomes, and and that will ultimately 449 00:16:32,215 --> 00:16:34,934 create efficiencies for companies like ours that reduce 450 00:16:34,934 --> 00:16:37,414 the total cost of care. There's winners all 451 00:16:37,414 --> 00:16:39,575 around. I think that's the message I would 452 00:16:39,575 --> 00:16:42,375 love for people to, take away from from 453 00:16:42,375 --> 00:16:42,875 this 454 00:16:44,110 --> 00:16:46,110 this program that we started, this journey that 455 00:16:46,110 --> 00:16:48,029 we've been on, and and share with some 456 00:16:48,029 --> 00:16:49,490 of the success that we've had. 457 00:16:50,589 --> 00:16:52,669 Wonderful. Well, I think that's a great last 458 00:16:52,669 --> 00:16:55,070 message to leave us with. So, Mark, I 459 00:16:55,070 --> 00:16:57,470 wanna thank you for taking the time to 460 00:16:57,470 --> 00:16:59,394 sit down with us today and and for 461 00:16:59,394 --> 00:17:02,195 sharing about, what is clearly very unique and 462 00:17:02,195 --> 00:17:05,075 impactful work going on under your leadership. We 463 00:17:05,075 --> 00:17:06,214 we really appreciate it. 464 00:17:06,674 --> 00:17:07,974 Thank you for the opportunity, 465 00:17:08,355 --> 00:17:10,755 and I think that, you know, we're just 466 00:17:10,755 --> 00:17:11,815 scratching the surface 467 00:17:12,549 --> 00:17:14,470 of of changing the way that we're thinking 468 00:17:14,470 --> 00:17:16,549 and and how that different thinking is going 469 00:17:16,549 --> 00:17:19,269 to lead to innovation and better outcomes for 470 00:17:19,269 --> 00:17:22,309 people. So appreciate the opportunity and and, I 471 00:17:22,309 --> 00:17:23,849 I wish you to have a great weekend. 472 00:17:24,070 --> 00:17:25,769 Yeah. You as well. It sounds like exciting 473 00:17:25,910 --> 00:17:28,664 things to still come from AmeriHealth Caritas. 474 00:17:29,284 --> 00:17:30,884 Thanks so much, Mark, for being with us. 475 00:17:30,884 --> 00:17:32,724 And and to our listeners, if you'd like 476 00:17:32,724 --> 00:17:35,204 to listen to more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare, 477 00:17:35,204 --> 00:17:38,024 you can visit beckershospitalreview.com.