Consumerism

It was 10:00am on a Monday when Kida Tisdale, RN Case Manager, called to check on her patient Byron*. The 43-year-old man from Jacksonville was struggling with some serious health challenges. Not only was he diabetic, but he had also been hospitalized twice in recent weeks for other issues and was recovering from major surgery.

In her role as a nurse with our health insurer's Place of Delivery care model (PODs), Kida often cares for high-risk patients. The PODs coordinate care for members with chronic conditions, improving the quality and cost of their care. The collaborative approach leverages a team of nurse case managers, pharmacists, social workers, nutritionists, and a population care manager.

In the short time she’d been working with Byron, Kida had been helping him learn to control his blood sugar. She also regularly spoke with Byron’s mother, Jackie, who was his caregiver.

Today it is very clear that COVID-19 is not easing up. In fact, in Florida – we’re hitting new COVID-19 records almost daily. The number of new cases is climbing. And hospitalization rates are also on an upward trend.

It is imperative to urge one another, our families and our neighbors to renew our commitment to stopping the spread of COVID-19.

Each of us need to do the right thing for ourselves and one another to avoid our community experiencing an even more severe impact.

The most effective way to prevent the spread of the virus is to avoid being exposed in the first place. There are four proven, simple steps we can take to reduce the risk of transmission.

1: Wear a mask.

2: Practice social distancing.

Hello, everyone. It's no secret that 2020 is a challenging year in so many ways and for so many people.

Economically, it's been particularly hard on small businesses.

Long before the coronavirus forced businesses across the country to close, we were working to create a new product to help small businesses address affordability.

Nearly 60% of small businesses in Florida don't offer health insurance to their employees, often due to cost.

To answer their need for an affordable, innovative solution, we created Truli for Health, the newest affiliate of Florida Blue.

Truli is our health maintenance organization for HMO designed for small and mid-size employers that officially goes live July 1st.

McConnell has over 30 years of health care industry experience leading employee health initiatives, building mobile and digital assets for remote monitoring, and integrating numerous consumer tools, focused on health, wellness and disease-management.

In this new role, McConnell will identify innovative ways to leverage product and infrastructure integration, while creating opportunities to engage with members to improve overall health outcomes.

I want to take the opportunity this week to highlight another great example of the work we're doing to support our communities.

In response to COVID-19,we provided grant funding to organizations across Florida, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Our support the last few months has enabled several regional YMCA locations to repurpose closed facilities to offer emergency childcare at reduced or no cost for first responders and front line healthcare workers.This alleviated a huge burden for those selflessly serving on the pandemic's front line.

We're honored to have helped provide them with a safe and supportive location for their children while they were fulfilling critical work to keep our communities healthy.

Because of fears of contracting COVID-19, health care professionals say people throughout the country are afraid to go to emergency rooms and urgent care centers.

Now, health care providers are sounding the alarm.

Bethany Carlson, RN, who is a nurse manager at the GuideWell Emergency Doctors in Winter Park, says delaying care can be dangerous---even life threatening. She wants to urge the public not to put off seeking necessary or emergency care for themselves or their loved ones.

“A lot of the times they’re ignoring them (symptoms) a lot longer than they should so by the time they come to us they’re sicker than they needed to be just because they’re afraid.”

Dr. Christopher Hamann, MD, a Board-Certified Emergency Medicine physician, says ignoring symptoms is risky. He says someone who experiences a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or chest pain but ignores symptoms could end up having a stroke or heart attack.

While many of our local economies are beginning to take slow steps to reopen, we know for sure the implications for the coronavirus pandemic will be long lasting.

Caring for our members, customers, partners, and employees, as this situation evolves will require a long term, sustainable response.

We are uniquely positioned as a mission-driven health solutions enterprise, to respond to this pandemic in meaningful ways.

Our holistic approach to health care is what sets us apart. Our work goes far beyond providing quality health insurance, and the compassion we're demonstrating during these unprecedented times is reflected in our response efforts across our family of companies.

By: Sonya Ferris, Enterprise Communications

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6 - 12, in honor of the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

Intended to recognize the vital role nurses play in health care, it’s especially poignant this year in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

It’s fitting that the theme for the week is “Compassion, Expertise, Trust.”

Shortly after stay-at-home orders were given in Florida, nurses across GuideWell put their compassion and expertise into action as they kicked off an initiative to provide special care to our most vulnerable members.

Men dressed in white lab coats, masks, and gloves knocked on doors in South Florida neighborhoods, claiming they were from a government health agency and wanted to come in to test residents for COVID-19.

Some people have received text messages saying they can get $1,000 as part of a federal COVID-19 stimulus program. All they have to do is click a link. And older adults have received robocalls offering to send free COVID-19 tests. The only thing needed to get the process started is the older adults’ Medicare member number.

Those are among the potential coronavirus-related scams that have been reported to the Florida Office of the Attorney General in the past few weeks. It’s not an unexpected development. In uncertain times, scammers turn out in full force to take advantage of people who are stressed out and fearful.

Sharon Daily has spent nearly three decades as a social worker caring for older adults and those with disabilities. But, the past few months have been unlike any other time. During COVID-19, her work has shifted from in-home visits to telephone check-in calls. And, the types of conversations she’s having with clients are different, too.

Prior to COVID-19, Daily helped health plan members navigate all aspects of their life. Now, she’s focused on making sure people are safe and their basic needs are met.

“Every phone call, every check-in is dealing with the more practical issues within life. We ask if they have enough food, who is grocery shopping for them, how are they getting their prescriptions,” she said.