Three key steps for effectively addressing gaps in care
Getting recommended preventive screenings and regular checkups with a primary care doctor is one of the best ways for patients to maintain their health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Finding signs of a potential problem early—for example, via cancer screening—often means the patient has more treatment options, helping to improve quality of life and potentially save lives.
Labcorp’s three-step approach helps payers and providers support early screening for patients identified with care gaps, so they can more effectively close care gaps, increase their quality measures performance and improve patient outcomes.
Key Steps for Addressing Gaps in Care
For payers and providers, the shift toward more and better preventive care requires identifying and reaching patients who are currently not getting these essential services. There are many reasons that a patient might experience gaps in care, including not having a primary care provider, living far from a clinic, not knowing about recommended screenings or tests, costs, mobility or transportation challenge and fear of going to the doctor’s office, especially during the pandemic. Given these factors, successful gaps in care programs require both promoting access and engagement.
Labcorp launched a gaps in care program to help payers and providers more effectively reach patients who are not coming in for the care they need and improve gap closure rates. Our program utilizes a three-step approach: Engage.Test.Close.
More effectively engage patients
When considering a partner, it’s important to understand how that partner can support your programs and help you meet your goals. Labcorp offers a single-source end-to-end solution with flexible deployment options to fit your program needs and help simplify communication. Our program includes a robust digital engagement and efficient workflow that helps keep patients informed throughout the process to help increase response rates. We manage preparation and shipment of the kits, notify patients of their results, and provide organizations with robust analytics for program tracking and care management. This comprehensive approach also enables you to focus on the overall gap closure goal instead of process management details.
By the Numbers
Successful gaps in care programs need to be able to address the many factors that cause care delays, with COVID-19 exacerbating these trends. Recent data indicate that:
- About one in four U.S. adults does not have a primary care provider for ongoing care
- About 46 million people (14% of the U.S. population) live in rural communities. Two-thirds of health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) are in these rural areas. People who live far from primary care providers may have a harder time getting regular care
- In recent years, fear of exposure to COVID-19 has also contributed to fewer primary care visits. In one study, 11% of adults said they decided to delay or forego care because of COVID
Bring reference lab testing quality to the home
Accessibility, consistency and reliability of gaps in care test results play a key role in defining the user experience and quality performance. Labcorp’s gaps in care program is designed to service clinical quality measure standards, including those defined by NCQA, HEDIS® and UDS. It combines the power of our national laboratory network with the convenience of at-home options, bringing reference lab testing quality and support directly to patients who otherwise might skip screenings.
With our program, the screening kits are shipped directly to their home, so patients can complete the sample collection and drop it in the mail without ever going to a hospital or clinic. Program options can include full customer support from start to finish to answer any questions and follow-up to make sure they remember to send their kits back. Plus, we offer convenient online tools to help them check their results.
Every test result meets our high standards for consistency and reliability. Our network of lab facilities operates on a single platform with identical reference ranges, whether your patients are in South Florida or the Pacific Northwest. In addition, results can be delivered at scale through existing data connectivity channels to meet your quality measure data requirements.
Utilize insights to maximize gap closure
Our gaps in care program is designed to maximize providers’ and payers’ ability to close care gaps and meet value-based care quality and cost goals. We take care of all the necessary steps to get patients the screening they need, making it convenient for patients, payers and physicians.
Our gaps in care program also provides program reporting to help track your progress in meeting quality goals. Reports include real-time analytics and insights to help you take the necessary steps to close gaps in care. The entire program is scalable to meet your organization’s needs.
Ultimately, these programs can enhance care outcomes for patients while reducing the total cost of care. Find out more about our gaps in care program today.
References
- AJMC – Number of Accountable Care Organizations Joining MSSP in 2022 Grew Slightly, CMS Says – https://www.ajmc.com/view/number-of-accountable-care-organizations-joining-mssp-in-2022-grew-slightly-cms-says
- HealthCatalyst – 40,000 Covered Lives: Improving Performance on ACO MSSP Metrics – https://www.healthcatalyst.com/success_stories/aco-performance-mssp-metrics-mission-health
- University of Michigan – “Leaky” Primary Care Means Higher ACO Costs – https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/industry-dx/leaky-primary-care-means-higher-aco-costs
- NPR – As Out-Of-Pocket Health Costs Rise, Insured Adults Are Seeking Less Primary Care – https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/02/03/801351890/as-out-of-pocket-health-costs-rise-insured-adults-are-seeking-less-primary-care
- McKinsey – The Math of ACOs – https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/the-math-of-acos
- HealthyPeople.gov – Clinical Preventive Services – https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/leading-health-indicators/2020-lhi-topics/Clinical-Preventive-Services
- HealthAffairs – Few Americans Receive All High-Priority, Appropriate Clinical Preventive Services – https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1248
- Levine DM, Linder JA, Landon BE. Characteristics of Americans With Primary Care and Changes Over Time, 2002-2015. JAMA Intern Med. 2020;180(3):463–466. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.6282
- Healthy People 2030 – Preventive Care – https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/preventive-care#cit4
- Allen EM, Call KT, Beebe TJ, McAlpine DD, Johnson PJ. Barriers to Care and Health Care Utilization Among the Publicly Insured. Med Care. 2017;55(3):207-214. doi:10.1097/MLR.0000000000000644
- Kaiser Family Foundation – Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) – https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/primary-care-health-professional-shortage-areas-hpsas/
- Center for American Progress – How States Can Expand Health Care Access in Rural Communities – https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-states-can-expand-health-care-access-in-rural-communities/
- American Association of Medical Colleges – Health Disparities Affect Millions in Rural U.S. Communities – https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/health-disparities-affect-millions-rural-us-communities
- Health IT Analytics – Enhancing Population Health Approaches to Deliver Preventive Care – https://healthitanalytics.com/features/enhancing-population-health-approaches-to-deliver-preventive-care
- Chien SY, Chuang MC, Chen IP. Why People Do Not Attend Health Screenings: Factors That Influence Willingness to Participate in Health Screenings for Chronic Diseases. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(10):3495. Published 2020 May 17. doi:10.3390/ijerph17103495
- AAFP – COVID-19 Continues to Cause Some People to Put Off Care – https://www.aafp.org/news/health-of-the-public/20211006delayedcare.html
- NAACOS - Analysis of the Proposed 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule – https://www.naacos.com/assets/docs/pdf/2021/NAACOS-AnalysisProposedMPFS080321.pdf
- CMS – The Affordable Care Act: Helping Providers Help Patients - A Menu of Options for Improving Care – https://www.cms.gov/medicare/medicare-fee-for-service-payment/aco/downloads/aco-menu-of-options.pdf