By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The Wood County Hospital and Toledo Clinic are launching a new endeavor, Independence Health, to help local residents’ access health care at lower cost and assist patients on Medicare Advantage plans.
Mike D’Eramo, the chief administrator for the Toledo Clinic, said that changes in policies related to Medicare and Medicaid were part of the impetus for creating Independence Health.
The clinic and hospital are partnering on a Medicare Advantage initiative, Senior Care Advantage, to help manage the growing population on that program in Wood County. The new program is available for patients with Medicare Advantage plans through Aetna, Anthem, Humana and Paramount, and potentially Medical Mutual.
The other major prong of this effort is working directly with employers to increase accessibility of health care for their workers, especially those who may not have primary care physicians and tend not to seek regular care, according to Stan Korducki, president of Wood County Hospital.
Employers say they’ve been “negotiating insurance rates forever,” D’Eramo said. But that doesn’t address the “significant share of health care costs that far exceed insurance” — the co-pays, out of pocket expenses, and deductibles.
Through Independence Health, employers will pay a fee based on the number of employees that will allow workers to get a range of health care services without those extra costs. And by going through the two hubs – Falcon Health Center in Bowling Green and the clinic at 28442 E. River Road in Perrysburg – patients will be guided through the system to get the care they need.
“They will get to the right places, the right doctor, at the right cost,” D’Eramo said.
“This will sit on top of the health insurance platform,” Korducki said.
They will be able to seek care beyond those providers through their insurance plans. This does not reduce choice, Korducki said.
Dr. Lawrence Monger, who was hired by Wood County Hospital, earlier this year will serve as medical director of Independence Health.
Companies are “really trying to focus on improving the health status for employees,” Korducki said. Data show that “this helps employees in multiple ways.” In the long run, “it improves employee engagement, employment retention, and productivity.”
This is an outgrowth of work the hospital has already done with local employers. Those efforts include smoking cessation and weight loss programs.
“The reason we can do it is we already have relationships with so many employers,” he said.
The Toledo Clinic and Wood County Hospital have been collaborating for a number of years with the clinic providing specialty services through the hospital.
