EmblemHealth is committed to providing equitable services that address racial and ethnic disparities in health care and improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve. As one of the largest community-based nonprofit health plans in the country, we demonstrate our commitment to health equity throughout the organization.
In response to a recent request from the New York State Department of Finance for all industry stakeholders to provide detail on their health equity programming and demographic data collection, here is what we provided:
We believe ensuring access to affordable health care services within the community is crucial to helping individuals and families of all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses maintain healthy lifestyles and address both acute and chronic health care issues. We are committed to providing care delivered by culturally and linguistically competent providers that reflect the diverse communities they serve, and address not only physical and mental health needs, but also social determinants of health such as food insecurity, housing stability, and access to education, we know can greatly impact overall health and wellness.
A brief summary of the ways we are addressing health equity is included below:
- EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care: We operate 13 EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care centers where we provide free in-person and virtual support, access to community resources, and culturally competent programming to all community members.
- AdvantageCare Physicians (ACPNY): Many of our Neighborhood Care centers are co-located with our partner medical practice, AdvantageCare Physicians (ACPNY), which provides primary and specialty care at over 30 offices in the New York area to over 500,000 patients a year, including at 17 offices in designated Medically Underserved Areas or Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas.
- Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and Outreach Activities: EmblemHealth has adopted key programs to address SDOH, including efforts to increase screening, referrals, and member engagement through standardized uniform data collection processes, outreach and SDOH assessment through our care management teams and Member Hub, in-person support for SDOH needs at Neighborhood Care sites, and implementation of population health strategies to address SDOH trends and needs.
- Community Outreach: We also bring health services and education directly to communities through our community events, including Healthier Futures Wellness Expos last year in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens that provided health screenings, fresh food giveaways, educational resources and live music and entertainment directly to community members. We use our relationships with community partners to develop programs that improve access for necessary services. As an example, we have worked with the NYC Department of Education and NYU Langone to increase access to dental care in Far Rockaway by providing screenings to almost 500 students in local schools.
- Data Collection to Identify Disparities: We collect and analyze data on our member populations to gain a better understanding of who we serve so that we can better care for each unique population and target efforts to mitigate existing health disparities. We use demographic data on race, ethnicity, and language to identify disparities in key quality measures among certain populations. For example, after identifying a disparity in outcomes for A1c control among African American/Black Medicaid members, we established a new incentive program for providers aimed to help close the observed gaps in outcomes across our populations.
- Care Management Programs: Our Care Management programs address the full scope of a member’s needs by not only providing intensive stabilization and long-term support for chronic illness, but also incorporating SDOH needs and working closely with community providers through shared electronic medical record (EMR) communication and connection to community resources.
- Health Disparities Research: EmblemHealth and ACPNY have conducted multiple primary research studies to identify health disparities, including surveys on the use of telehealth services and vaccine terminology, as well as through a published study on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in minority, urban communities in partnership with Weill Cornell Medicine. These studies have helped to develop evidence-based interventions to better address health disparities for members and patients.
- WellSpark: WellSpark was created to address the needs of the workforce and provides wellness solutions for every dimension of people’s complicated lives. By tacking issues such as anxiety, stress, and burnout, WellSpark is helping to level the playing field to ensure all individuals have the ability to achieve healthy outcomes.
EmblemHealth is committed to addressing health disparities and improving health equity. This commitment is evident in the programs we have implemented, data collection processes we have put in place, provider partnerships we have developed, and community focused activities we invest in to ensure we are helping to create healthier futures for all individuals we serve. We look forward to working with the State to provide a strong and equitable health care system for all New Yorkers.