Two large managed care companies, CareSource and Molina Healthcare Inc., are making concerted efforts to address social determinants of health in Ohio.
Dayton, Ohio-based CareSource, one of the nation's largest Medicaid managed care plans, is partnering with a company called Healthify to build a statewide network of community-based organizations in Ohio.
CareSource said the new network will provide social services to its members throughout the state with referrals to address social determinants of health. This collaboration will expand upon the existing CareSource Life Services program and Healthify OH social services network. The network will be made up of community organizations that provide a range of services that address the social determinants of health such as food insecurity, lack of transportation, unemployment, inadequate housing, and financial instability.
"CareSource's collaboration with Healthify empowers us to continue connecting our members with our partners who impact their health, including food pantries, housing and job training, with greater efficiency," said Steve Ringel, CareSource Ohio Market president, in a statement. "We are very excited to leverage data on referrals, community partner engagement and member health improvement to optimize our community investment plan."
In addition to the statewide network, CareSource will use Healthify's population analysis modeling to identify social risk across Ohio and target hard-to-reach members to ensure they are connected to critical services. By layering this on top of clinical and cost data, CareSource hopes to improve member engagement while tracking their long-term outcomes.
"I grew up in Ohio and it's great to partner with like-minded organizations like CareSource that are dedicated to helping members with unmet social needs using strong local partnerships,” said Manik Bhat, Healthify CEO, in a statement. "We are excited that the partnerships established across the state will provide the infrastructure to also support COVID-19 recovery efforts."
Healthify has raised over $28 million from investors including SV Health Investors and BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners.
Last February, another managed care giant, Molina Healthcare Inc., announced the launch of a Social Determinants of Health Innovation Center in Columbus, Ohio. Molina said the new center would be charged with developing programs and best practices to address healthcare access barriers created by social factors, with a goal of enhancing patient-centered care across Molina’s service areas throughout the United States.
In November it appointed Michelle Bentzien-Purrington as executive leader and San Bartolome, M.D., as national medical director of the center.
In 2020 the SDOH Innovation Center invested more than $1.5 million to:
• Increase behavioral health access via telehealth for Ohio’s youth;
• Provide increased capacity for school-based healthcare for children and their families;
• Complete lead abatement in childcare settings;
• Support new mothers with diapers and other essentials during home visits;
• Help individuals obtain needed identification documents and necessary skills to secure stable employment;
• Feed community members experiencing homelessness or financial distress with nutritious foods;
• Increase access to dental care by bringing services to the community through a mobile dental model; and
• Provide age-appropriate books for young Ohioans.
