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Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and Care New England Partner to Offer New In-Home Doula Program to Support Rhode Island Families

PROVIDENCE, RI – Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) announced today its new in-home doula program has completed complimentary in-home visits for more than 225 new mothers. The program, which launched exclusively for BCBSRI members in July in partnership with Care New England (CNE), provides mothers who give birth at Women & Infants Hospital a three-hour home visit from a trained doula as an additional level of support following childbirth. This is Rhode Island’s first program of its kind.

Doulas are birthing spets used throughout pregnancy to support expectant mothers physically and emotionally, both during pregnancy and after childbirth. While doulas are often chosen in advance of labor, research has shown that their services are also highly beneficial for mothers in the weeks following childbirth. Postpartum doulas provide education and support around feeding and caring for a baby, and help parents integrate the new child into an existing family routine.

This in-home service is a part of BCBSRI’s focus on new mothers’ transition from hospital to home, launched with the first phase of its Maternity Care Initiative last October. Doula services are provided by HealthTouch, part of CNE’s Visiting Nurse Association. The Maternity Care Initiative is a unique partnership with healthcare providers giving mothers a more seamless, coordinated experience with improved quality care and outcomes. The goal of the initiative is to deliver the best total experience for mothers giving birth, from the first prenatal physician visit, through delivery at the hospital, to a safe and comfortable transition home following the baby’s birth.

The Maternity Care Initiative grew out of a long-term strategic partnership between BCBSRI and CNE that launched in 2012. The next phase will focus on evidence-based best practices for managing prenatal care and enhancing the patient experience.

“With the implementation of phase II of our Maternity Care Initiative, we move one step closer toward an improved delivery of care in the form of multidisciplinary population health across the continuum of care,” said Care New England President and CEO, Dennis Keefe. “Women & Infants and Care New England will continue to focus on quality outside of our facilities to continue to ensure the best possible care for our mothers and babies.”

As a part of this program, mothers will have access to postpartum doula services for the following at-home needs:
·    Breastfeeding and bottle feeding guidance and support
·    Physical and emotional care after giving birth
·    Bathing and general baby care
·    Siblings adjusting to the new baby
·    Specialized support for twins and multiples
·    First-time parent support
·    General emotional support/encouragement

“Over the last few years, nearly 8,500 Blue Cross members gave birth at Women & Infants Hospital,” said Mark Waggoner, senior vice president, care integration and management, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. “The recent trend toward more continuous support for expectant and new mothers through services like doulas has tremendous health benefits for the entire family.”

There is evidence that doula visits help new mothers as they adjust to life after baby’s arrival. Some of these benefits include:

  • Support for difficult emotions. The U.S. National Library of Medicineindicates that 50 percent of new mothers experience depression or a shift in mood from three to 14 days post-delivery. Doulas can help assess mothers’ emotional responses and allow them to discuss questions or concerns sparked by environmental stressors.
  • Increased levels of success with breastfeeding, by 68 percent aftersix weeks postpartum. Breastfeeding has been shown to have numerous health benefits for infants including protection from stomach viruses, lower respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and meningitis.

    In addition to the in-home visit offered to new mothers, BCBSRI now has a maternity ambassador is on-site at Women & Infants Hospital to help schedule these appointments and answer any questions about postpartum doula practices.

“Doulas are best known for providing support during childbirth, but the transition to motherhood doesn’t end after labor. We can help empower moms and their growing families as they continue to adjust at home,” said Lauren Cherry, maternity ambassador, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. “It’s exciting to be part of this new program that will introduce more people to the benefits of doula services, and support these families in a
deeper way as they welcome home their new babies.”

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is the state’s leading health insurer and covers more than 450,000 members. The company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, visit www.bcbsri.com, follow us on Twitter @BCBSRI, and like us on Facebook at fb.com/bcbsri.

About Care New England
Care New England, located in Rhode Island, was founded in 1996 by Butler Hospital, Kent Hospital and Women & Infants Hospital. Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island joined the system as a hospital partner in 2013. Care New England is an integrated health care system that offers a continuum of quality care. The system includes primary care and specialty physicians; three teaching hospitals affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Butler, Memorial and Women & Infants; a community hospital, Kent, affiliated with the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine; a home care and hospice agency, the VNA of Care New England; a community based mental health provider organization, The Providence Center; and the Care New England Wellness Center.

HealthSource RI Enrollment Fair

HealthSource RI is holding an Enrollment Fair for individuals and families on Tuesday, December 1 from 11 am – 7 pm at the Sheraton Providence Airport Hotel, 1850 Post Rd., Warwick with representatives from all insurers participating on the exchange including BlueCross & Blue Shield of RI, Neighborhood Health Plan of RI, UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Dental and Delta Dental.

Customers can get in-person assistance from health insurance reps and HealthSource RI staff; information on available health and dental plans and options; find out if they qualify for financial assistance; and enroll in a new plan or get help renewing their existing plan.

It’s helpful to have all of these documents at the fair:

  • A Photo ID (driver’s license or passport)
  • HealthSource RI username and password (existing customers)
  • Any recent HealthSource RI or Medicaid notices that you have received
  • Your 2014 tax return

It’s also helpful to have this information for everyone in a household:

  • Last 4 weeks of pay stubs/proof of income for past month
  • Social Security numbers or immigration documents

More information on HealthSource RI’s Facebook page: facebook.com/HealthSourceRI

Benefits of HealthSource RI for Employers Program

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HealthSource RI for Employers is Rhode Island’s official health marketplace for small group health insurance options and one of the best-functioning small business exchanges (per capita) in the United States. Our trusted partners for medical and dental plans include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Dental, Delta Dental, Guardian, and soon to be added, Dentegra.

HealthSource RI’s Full Employee Choice program gives employers maximum flexibility in customizing health plan offerings for their employees. It is the exclusive source for multi-carrier options, and a defined contribution feature lets employers set contribution tiers for employee tenure or classification.

 

What Business Owners Need To Know

  • Business owners can offer a wide range of plans using a defined contribution model.
  • Employees and their families have an unprecedented degree of freedom and choice.
  • Employer contribution can be based on current plan or a cost range they can afford.
  • Employees choose from any of the plans offered to best meet their needs and budget.
  • Customer support is available and ongoing to help employers and employees find the health coverage that best fits their needs and their budget.

The primary goals of the program are to help employers manage healthcare costs, promote a healthy workforce, and eliminate obstacles to getting healthcare coverage. Business owners consistently list employee healthcare as one of their top expenses. There is no downside to looking at the options through HealthSource RI because pricing is the same, by law, both on and off the exchange.

Small Businesses Profiles of HealthSource RI Customers

Farm Fresh RI

Farm Fresh Rhode Island Farmer’s Market

Farm Fresh Rhode Island founded in 2004, is a local non-profit is devoted to growing Rhode Island’s local food system. Farm Fresh currently employs 17 full-time employees and 20 part-time employees. “One of the goals of Farm Fresh Rhode Island is to empower consumer choice in the food system. Being able to give our employees that same freedom of choice with health insurance felt completely in line with our values,” said Co-Executive Director of Farm Fresh, Jesse Rye.

Farm Fresh was introduced to the program by broker Jeff Brier from Brier & Brier who has been working with Farm Fresh for over five years. Jeff Brier is a certified HealthSource RI broker who has worked with several non-profits in the community.

In the past, Farm Fresh offered one health insurance plan for all employees. Today, through HealthSource RI’s Full Employee Choice program, Farm Fresh RI’s employees choose a plan that best fits their needs from a range of plans and carriers.

Eagle Cornice’s Corporate Project for Kent County YMCA

Eagle Cornice is a commercial industrial roofing and sheet metal contractor, operating on high-profile jobs in Rhode Island including T.F. Green Airport, Rhode Island Convention Center, and the Westin Hotel. Founded in 1901 by Simon Strauss, Eagle Cornice has been a family business for three generations.

Today David Soccio, Larry Brillon and Jon Hogberg continue the company’s legacy of providing professional roofing and architectural sheet metal services at competitive prices to commercial, industrial, and residential customers throughout New England.

“The team came to our office and met one-on-one with our employees, explaining various plans and costs associated with each. We are very satisfied. The variety of options allows employees to choose the health plan that meets their needs,” said Soccio.

Beginning in 2016, HealthSource RI will expand their plan offerings to over 24 health plans and 7 dental plans. “I feel that the more options, the better–especially since historically we have only had two or three plans to choose from,” said Soccio.

For more information on HealthSource RI:

Visit the newly redesigned website (HealthSourceRI.com/Employers) for 2016 plan rates and detailed information on available options. HSRI has also launched a Facebook page for employers and brokers that highlights Rhode Island businesses using the program, their success stories and other important news and events (www.facebook.com/HealthSourceRIforEmployers).

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Simplifies the Shopping Experience

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Simplifies the Shopping Experience for Individuals and Families during the 2016 Open Enrollment Period Retail stores, enhanced web experience, and customer service call center open 7 days a week make finding the right plan easy

PROVIDENCE, RI – The open enrollment period to purchase medical and dental insurance directly from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) is open now until Sunday, January 31, 2016. This year, BCBSRI opened its third retail store in Lincoln and expanded customer service to seven days a week, and improved the online shopping experience for individuals shopping for health insurance.

“It is in the interest of every Rhode Islander to actively shop for health insurance and we are taking steps to make that as easy as possible. We have expanded our retail presence and customer service hours to make it easier for Rhode Island residents to compare plans and make smarter healthcare
decisions,” said Melissa Cummings, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer, BCBSRI. “We are confident that our full range of medical and dental products offer comprehensive healthcare coverage at a variety of price points to meet the needs of our diverse local communities.”

This year, a new wellness program will provide individuals and families with the opportunity to earn up to $250 in CVS/pharmacy® gift cards for completing wellness activities. BCBSRI is offering eleven medical insurance options for the 2016 plan year, including four Gold, four Silver, and three Bronze plans. Full details on all eleven plans are available at bcbsri.com. We are pleased to offer two new medical, and four new dental plans, to our suite of products. Our two new medical plans include:

·    VantageBlue Direct with Dental – Gold – BCBSRI the only carrier in Rhode Island that offers a combined medical and dental plan. This plan provides comprehensive dental coverage for the entire family, combined with all of the medical benefits offered by the popular VantageBlue plan. The enhanced dental benefits include no-cost annual dental cleanings, and exams, for the entire family, and more.

·    BlueCHiP Direct– Silver – Building on BCBSRI’s commitment to primary care and a coordinated approach to medical care, this plan uses primary care physicians to coordinate member care using referrals. It covers basic services, office visits, and most generic drugs
before the deductible while also providing wide-ranging coverage after the deductible is met. BlueCHiP Direct is a highly competitive and cost-effective silver tier option and a comprehensive low-cost option for individuals eligible for a subsidy.

In addition to a new suite of offerings for 2016, BCBSRI has more value-added services available for individuals and families who choose Blue Cross medical coverage:
•    24/7 Nurse Care Line – when you need advice, not emergency care
•    Telemedicine – connect with a doctor online from your own home
•    CVS discount – receive 20% off CVS Brand health-related items*
•    MinuteClinic® – receive treatment at participating clinics inside CVS/pharmacy stores
•    $250 in CVS gift cards for completing wellness activities

The four new Blue Cross Dental products that are being offered include pediatric (i.e. dependents under 19 years of age) benefit coverage. With our new, expanded national network, members can access more dentists anywhere in the country.

For detailed information about open enrollment or to request an enrollment brochure, please visit Your Blue Store in Lincoln, Bristol or Warwick, call 1-855-690-2583 (my0blue), or visit www.bcbsri.com.

**The 20 percent discount is restricted to items purchased for the health care of cardholder and applies to regularly priced CVS/pharmacy brand health-related items valued at $1 or more. Excludes prescriptions and any items reimbursed by federal health care programs.

About Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) is the state’s leading health insurer and covers more than 450,000 members. Our mission is to improve our members’ health and peace of mind by facilitating their access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. BCBSRI is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, visit www.bcbsri.com, follow us on Twitter @BCBSRI, and like us on Facebook at fb.com/bcbsri.

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