Workplace in Focus Podcast Episode 9 Transcript

Care management is changing, especially during the pandemic. Hear what Banner|Aetna is doing to meet the challenge.

ANNOUNCER: You have questions about what’s impacting the healthcare system – from pandemics to products. We have answers. Welcome to Banner|Aetna Workplace in Focus. Now here's your host, Banner|Aetna Market Head of Sales, Jon Dingledine.

DINGLEDINE: Welcome everybody to this addition of Banner|Aetna: Workplace In Focus. Today we’re really excited to have Dr. Jenny McNair with us to talk about care management, how it’s evolving and changing, and some specific ways that care management is helping Banner Aetna members. Dr. McNair welcome we’re glad you’re here.

MCNAIR: Thanks John. I’m really happy to be here.

DINGLEDINE: So let’s start with a definition. What exactly is care management, how can it help? Because it might mean different things to different people. So what exactly is it that we’re talking about when we say care management?

MCNAIR: Yeah John, you know a lot of people aren’t familiar with care management. Care management is a program designed to help people reach their health and wellness goals by working with a team of clinical professionals. It’s either through your insurance company like here with Banner Aetna as we’re talking about today, through your local hospital, or through your provider. 

Care management is really a tool to help people reach their health and wellness goals and help connect them to resources to get where they want to be on their healthcare journey. And some examples of that, there’s a nurse care manager who might reach someone with diabetes how to manage that diabetes. You know, teach them how to shop in the grocery store and select healthy foods. How to manage their medications. How to use exercise to improve their diabetes outcomes. 

Care management can really also help people find care for anxiety and depression which we’ve seen significantly increase during the COVID Pandemic. Care managers can connect people with resources for financial issues that might be impacting their health, connecting them with local resources where the member is actually located. Care management ultimately empowers people to start healthy habits and take control of their own healthcare journey. It’s a powerful tool through Banner Aetna that more people should really take advantage of because it’s a part of the Banner Aetna insurance plan. Or they can access it other ways. Their healthcare provider. I mean we work with those healthcare providers. It’s out there and it’s available and people should be aware of it and can use it. 

DINGLEDINE: Thanks for that. So I know here at Banner Aetna we use something, our program is called MDCT which stands for Multidisciplinary Care Team. Tell us how that model differs from a traditional care management model that maybe folks are familiar with? So things like what are the disciplines and how do they each play an important role? 

MCNAIR: You know Banner Aetna has a unique and really impactful care management program through the MDCT or Multidisciplinary Care Team that you brought up. That means we have a lot of different professionals as a part of our team. We have nurses. We have dieticians. Social workers. Pharmacists. Physicians. And this big team is different because we take a whole person approach. We don’t just talk about disease. We don’t just talk about medicine. We take that holistic approach to help people reach their healthcare goals. 

So our social worker might help someone get connected to the gym so they can get more and more active. They might also handle more traditional social work roles like screening for anxiety and depression. And getting members plugged in with resources for that. Your dietician might discuss the pros and cons of popular diets like the low carb fad. We may discuss things like a gluten-free diet. He or she might provide diabetic counseling or discuss an appropriate diet to help manage those sugars. Our pharmacists might talk to somebody about lowering costs for their medications or potential side effects if they are on a lot of medications. Then I’d also help them address concerns about those medicines. And we may have multiple members of this team interacting to help provide people with all of the resources that they need to meet their healthcare goals. So in addition to approaching and helping patients understand their specific disease processes we will help reduce all their various barriers to their health care goals. 

And another really unique aspect of Banner Aetna’s Multidisciplinary Care Management Team is the way we engage members. As a part of that holistic, whole person approach we really want to reach members where they are. And that means we literally may go into the community to meet them at a coffee shop. If that’s most convenient for the member. We may go to a hospital to help them if they’re in the hospital. We may go to a doctor's office appointment with them to really understand their diagnoses if they want us to help them that way. 

Now in the midst of COVID you know we've had to tweak this process a little bit, so we’re doing video visits, we’re doing telephone visits and we’re really excited about getting back out there and meeting our members face to face again as safely as possible. And at Banner Aetna we've found that doing these face to face visits really allows us to help patients reach the heart of the issues that are keeping them from reaching their health and wellness goals. The more we do that, the better we can help members on their journey to get them where they want to go. So we’re here to help and we’re flexible. We want to help members in the way that matters most to them as individuals. And that’s pretty unique in the care management world. 

DINGLEDINE: What a great way to help our members that are in the middle of something serious, potentially something serious condition or chronic condition unwind the complexity that’s out there. One of the things we say here at Banner Aetna is healthcare is simple, said no one ever. So what a great program, or suite of programs to really help our members. So Dr. McNair as you look into the future, how do you see care management evolving? Where and what’s next? And has COVID impacted that and how we think about what the next generation of care management looks like? 

MCNAIR: You know John, COVID has impacted everything. I don’t think there’s any aspect of our lives that has been untouched by the pandemic. I’ve seen it in my own family. I certainly see it in the members, the Banner Aetna members that we encounter everyday and so we’re pivoting to help address that need. We lost a lot but we seem to be on the precipice of reaching a new normal, and we're pivoting to adapt to that. We’ve offered video visits. We’re about to get back, back out face to face with our members. We know a little bit more about what we need to do to be safe, but we want to remind everybody to get plugged back into the healthcare system. To really help us all establish that new normal and get back where we need to be on our path to better outcomes. 

I mean let’s be clear, care management will always be about empowering to achieve their health and wellness goals and we’re going to pivot and do that in a way that reflects the concerns that are going on today but will continue to help members on their journey. We offer those video visits. We want to meet members where they are in a safe way, for both our staff and for members. So maybe our focus is a little more pointed. Maybe we’re thinking more about the whole person, health and anxiety, depression. And getting more plugged in for their health and wellness things that might have fallen to the side in the midst of the COVID pandemic. We want members to see their doctors. We want to get them plugged back in for preventive care, immunization, for flu shots, for the fall. We’re here for our members and we’re going to stay here. We know that members need us now more than ever, so we’re dedicated to providing the flexibility they need to help them on their healthcare journey.

DINGLEDINE: So let’s build on that a little bit. There is so much available, so many opportunities out there. What should our listeners know about their health and wellness? How to set goals? What’s the best thing they can do or look for? What’s the best next step for our listeners? 

MCNAIR: Yeah, that’s a great question and I’m going to provide you with two points. The very first one is if you’re not at your current health and wellness goals, then Banner Aetna care management might be right for you. And the second is, again, take time for care. Get plugged back into the healthcare system. Get the preventive screenings. Get the immunization. Get the medication refilled. Get the care that you need that might’ve been put aside in the midst of the pandemic. Take time for care. 

DINGLEDINE: Great. Dr. McNair this has been terrific. It’s great insight into how Banner Aetna is really changing the interaction with members to really help that holistic approach to care. And really appreciate your insights in joining us today. 

MCNAIR: I appreciate the opportunity to come and speak. Thanks John.

DINGLEDINE: And thank you to everybody listening. We really appreciate you tuning in to this episode of Banner Aetna Workplace in Focus. Tune in next time as we have another exciting guest and topic. Thank you.

ANNOUNCER: You’ve been listening to Banner Aetna Workplace in Focus. Learn more at BannerAetna.com.