Bringing Care Home: Anthem Blue Cross Expands Access to Comprehensive At-Home Care

Home visits can be an important best practice for delivering care to patients with chronic conditions, and a new partnership between Anthem Blue Cross, CareMore Health, and River City Medical Group (RCMG) will launch a new model of care providing comprehensive, home-based services for Medicaid patients in the Sacramento area.

RCMG patients who are Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal consumers with chronic illnesses and complex healthcare needs will now be treated by CareMore providers and be eligible to receive physical and mental healthcare, as well as social service supports delivered in the home. Services could include diabetes management, wound care, preventive care procedures, physical therapy, mental health counseling, health education, and more.

“Through the CareMore home-based program, Anthem Blue Cross offers new solutions that address the unique needs of chronically ill individuals, expands access to services and helps physicians improve health outcomes for our consumers with the most complex needs,” Barsam Kasravi, MD, MBA, MPH, president of Anthem Blue Cross Medicaid Health Plan, said in a statement. “We are pleased to be leading this innovative effort with valued partners, who are aligned in our mission to improve lives in the communities we serve.”

The organizations have been identifying consumers who would benefit from the new program since May. Demetria Malloy, MD, medical director of Anthem Blue Cross Medicaid Health Plan, explained that many people are comfortable and safe at home and they find it challenging to find specialists, make appointments, and go to a doctor’s office. This program would bring comprehensive care to them and improve their access to care.

"Delivering care in a person's home is valuable because it allows us to identify the social and environmental factors that may be impacting their health," said Chris Lillis, MD, FACP, CareMore assistant regional medical officer. "We learn more about barriers to care and personal preferences, which is important for addressing health concerns and providing whole person care. CareMore is known for its common-sense, innovative approach to addressing complex health and social issues, and we are excited to work with our partners to bring quality home-based care to the Sacramento community."

The announcement follows CMS’ own initiative to transform kidney disease care and encourage greater use of home dialysis under a new mandatory payment model. By 2025, CMS would like to have 80% of new patients with end-stage renal disease receiving dialysis at home or receiving a transplant.