Still Working Together, Apart

During this challenging time of social distancing, there is much to be said for community, collaboration and connectivity.

At Highmark Delaware, and across our enterprise, we have been working with our members, employees, providers and partners, to tackle the obstacles and embrace the opportunities that COVID-19 has presented. It is our priority to ensure that our community at large is safe and continues to have access to care.

As we continue to adapt as a company and industry, we are working closely with our local, state and federal government officials. We are appreciative of Governor Carney’s leadership, and for the support and guidance we receive from Insurance Commissioner Navarro and the Delaware Department of Insurance.

Working from Home

For their safety and to help slow the spread of the virus, Highmark proactively shifted nearly all its non-clinical employees to a work from home situation. This was done within a matter of days and prior to most official local and statewide orders, with no interruption in service to our members. We will remain working from home until July 2021, at which time we are excited to implement our Work from Anywhere approach.

Our employees across the enterprise have exhibited our core behaviors in a variety of ways during this transition and we are proud to have such a resilient and adaptive workforce. To ensure their health, safety and well-being, we designed more flexible working situations, increased and diversified employee communications, and made sure physical and mental health support, as well as resources for caregivers, parents and other individual situations were available and easily accessible.

COVID Coverage

In early March, Highmark made the decision to cover COVID-19 testing, both in-network and out-of-network, when ordered by a clinician. We then announced that members who require in-network, inpatient hospital care for COVID-19 will not incur any deductibles, co-insurance or co-pays. This coverage was extended through March 30, 2021.

Telehealth & Technology

Telehealth is an important care delivery channel at this time, so Highmark expanded coverage, has been reimbursing network providers for a variety of telehealth visits, and waived telehealth deductibles, coinsurance and copayments. This coverage was extended through March 30, 2021.

Highmark collaborated with the CDC Foundation and Microsoft to develop and launch the COVID-19 Symptom Checker Healthbot. This tool is free and open to all, and saw more than 30,000 visitors in the first week. Users can check their symptoms with Healthbot, which then provides guidance on seeking appropriate medical care when necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware’s donor-advised fund, BluePrints for the Community, made a $200,000 contribution to the Delaware COVID-19 Emergency Response Initiative, to meet the needs of the individuals, families and organizations that are experiencing hardship due to the COVID-19 crisis. Another $40,000 will be given to the Strategic Response portion of the initiative before the end of 2020. This is part of an enterprise-wide total of $2 million to organizations focused on helping people in need throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware.

Highmark’s Walk for Healthy Communities was transitioned to a virtual walk and online fundraiser. The enterprise-wide effort raised more than $917,100. In Delaware, 32 nonprofits raised over $187,000.

Highmark donated nearly 90,000 cloth face coverings to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and preserve valuable PPE for direct patient care. This effort spanned across the entire enterprise, with over 1 million face coverings donated throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. Face coverings were given to Highmark members, EMS first responders, and community-based organizations. Plus, many school districts throughout the state received PPE kits to assist with the transition to the new school year, which included adjustable face coverings, face shields, disinfectant hand wipes, large one-gallon pumps of hand sanitizer, signage containing best practices, and resource guides.

Highmark Delaware, in partnership with ChristianaCare, hosted a virtual webinar for educators in September to address health challenges and concerns as we enter a new school year in an entirely different way.

Provider payments

Highmark assisted local Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) by advancing payments made through the True Performance reimbursement program. This is one of the largest risk- and value-based reimbursement programs for PCPs in the country, which rewards them for meeting nationally-recognized quality measures and for focusing on prevention and wellness initiatives for Highmark members. The payments were sent a month early to assist physician practices affected financially by stay-at-home orders and other COVID-19 related issues. $1,941,257 in advances were made to 59 Delaware providers.

Employer Group Customers

With businesses ordered to close and social distancing recommendations, Highmark is doing all it can to help employers maintain their coverage because it’s important for employees and their families to stay healthy and have access to care at this time. We engaged with employer groups early on to make sure they were aware of assistance available through federal aid packages.

Social Determinants of Health

The current COVID-19 pandemic created a significant, urgent need to connect individuals to community benefit organizations (CBOs). As a result, we fast-tracked implementation of the Aunt Bertha resource directory, which went live in April. This free electronic social service referral tool was designed to help employees, patients and members, find available resources in their communities: Highmark Community Support.

Highmark also joined the Gravity Project, an HL7? Fast Health Interoperability Resource (FHIR Accelerator ?) and public collaborative designed to standardize medical data used to identify social determinants of health (SDOH). Now, standardized SDOH data is vital for identifying at-risk COVID-19 patients and intervening before the individual’s health is severely impacted.

In September, we announced a $1,000,000 commitment to addressing social determinants of health through BluePrints for the Community. We are pleased to announce 17 recipients in December, totaling more than $1.9 million in grant awards.

Opioid Use

Highmark members in Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, have access to a comprehensive, technology-enabled opioid use disorder (OUD) program. The program will help preserve treatment access and promote recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. It is offered in partnership with Bright Heart Health, an organization that offers nationally-recognized teleaddiction services.

Earlier this year, Highmark also introduced new virtual education and advocacy tools that combat stigma associated with OUD and promote recovery in the workplace. These new resources, which are a value-added service for Highmark group customers are offered in partnership with Shatterproof. Shatterproof is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the U.S. Through Shatterproof, Highmark’s employer-based members can engage in brief, interactive education modules that explore the science of opioid use disorder; environmental and genetic risk factors; the dangers of opioids; signs, symptoms and evidence-based treatment options; ways to help individuals and families challenged by OUD; and success stories of individuals who are in recovery.

Ongoing Efforts

Working together, despite being apart, is crucial to our capacity to learn and grow from this experience. Highmark will to continue evaluate the COVID-19 situation and to meet the needs of our employees, customers, patients and community, in meaningful and sustainable ways.

To learn more about Highmark’s response to COVID-19, visit faqs.discoverhighmark.com.