Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi is proud to announce Women’s Pavilion of South Mississippi as the state’s first Blue Primary Care Women’s Wellness Home. Many women choose care from an OB-GYN for their women’s health needs but must seek care from other providers to address chronic health conditions. Now, with the introduction of Women’s Wellness Home, women can have their healthcare needs throughout their lives met with their OB-GYN. 

Women’s Wellness Home is an extension of our Blue Primary Care initiative that places the focus of care on prevention and management of health risk through a relationship with a Network Provider who serves in the central role of coordinating care for patients. Women’s Pavilion of South Mississippi shares Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi’s commitment to providing quality, evidence-based care to women at every phase of life.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi in order to become Mississippi’s first Women’s Wellness Home,” says Dr. Elizabeth “Missy” Washburne, partner at Women’s Pavilion of South Mississippi. “Patients will be able to decrease office visits to multiple providers and hopefully decrease visits to the ER for non-emergent visits. Our Blue Cross patients are going to love being able to have essentially all of their care in one place.”

The Women’s Wellness Home care model expands the focus of care for Network OB-GYNs to include a focus on wellness and personal health ownership by serving as a “home” for wellness and management of health conditions based on an individual plan of care.

“Patients who are cared for by a Blue Primary Care Women’s Wellness Home can expect that their Care Team will work with them to develop a plan of care that addresses wellness and health concerns beyond the traditional scope of OB-GYNs into all aspects of care with a particular focus on prevention and management of risk around blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes,” said Dr. Tom Fenter, Chief Medical Officer, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. “The goal is to engage women early as partners in their health and to involve them in taking an active role in getting and staying healthy.”

This physician-led approach has involved Network Providers from the very beginning in establishing the expectations and performance standards required of participating clinics and physicians. Regional physician committees are in place to ensure peer-to-peer support and accountability among Blue Primary Care Network Providers as well as to offer a forum for exploration of how to best meet the unique needs of patients in each area of the state.

Women’s Pavilion of South Mississippi has the unique opportunity as the first Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Women’s Wellness Home to positively impact the future health of many generations of Mississippians by improving the health of women before, during and after pregnancy and by establishing continuity of wellness care through a long-term provider-patient relationship.

As for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi’s role, the insurer aims to remove barriers to care for both patients and Care Teams by providing innovative member benefits, provider tools and a quality-focused reimbursement model with the opportunity to earn shared savings. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi benefits available at no out-of-pocket cost include an annual wellness visit for all members as well as additional follow-up visits for members with increased risks through a benefit known as Color Me Healthy!. The health and wellness company also provides a more complete picture of a patient’s healthcare experience by providing Network Providers with comprehensive data including prescription drug history and ER admissions to help them identify opportunities to improve patient care. Additionally, Blue Primary Care Network Providers have the opportunity to also benefit from the reduction in healthcare costs attributed to preventive care for their patients.

“With our Blue Primary Care Home clinics, and now our Women’s Wellness Home, we are seeing a total transformation in the way they practice medicine,” shared Dr. Fenter. “Blue Primary Care puts the patient experience at the center of everything the Network Provider does, and we are beginning to see a positive impact on patient health and engagement. This approach to care is bringing wellness home for individuals and families. We look forward to the next evolution of Blue Primary Care with Women’s Wellness Home.”

Published December 15, 2017