CareSource expands into Indiana
Medicaid managed care plan began operations Jan. 1
DAYTON, Ohio, Jan. 3, 2005 – CareSource, Ohio’s largest Medicaid managed care organization, has signed a two-year contract to provide health care for Hoosier Healthwise recipients in Indiana. It received a statewide HMO Certificate of Authority from the Indiana Department of Insurance on Dec. 28 and began operations in the state Jan. 1.
CareSource covers all medical services required by the Indiana Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning. It also offers extra benefits such as a 24-hour nurse hotline, enhanced transportation to medical appointments, and case management.
“Our mission is to make a difference in the lives of underserved people by improving their health care,” said CareSource President and CEO Pamela Morris. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to extend that mission to Medicaid recipients in our neighboring state.”
As part of its expansion into Indiana, CareSource has established an office in Indianapolis and hired staff members to manage the plan, including Theodore W. Dixon as executive director; Steven W. Smitherman as director of provider relations; Paul Wolfe, M.D., as medical director; and Anita Agbonhese as regulatory compliance officer.
CareSource has also contracted with more than 100 health care providers including primary medical providers, specialists and hospitals, and is actively recruiting additional providers to its network.
Although CareSource is new to Indiana, it has provided high-quality health care to Medicaid recipients since 1989 and currently has almost 350,000 members in 13 counties in Ohio. CareSource strives to improve the health of its members by preventing disease and managing the care of those with chronic conditions.
Among the ways CareSource has been recognized for excellence are:
- Rated excellent in Ohio’s Performance Evaluation and Incentive System series of measurements for Medicaid HMOs.
- Winner of a Crystal Pinnacle Award and two Meritorious Awards for Best Practices from the Ohio Association of Health Plans.
- Named the sixth-largest and second-fastest-growing Medicaid managed care plan in the country by Interstudy, a leading researcher of managed care.
CareSource currently provides care to almost 12,000 Hoosier Healthwise recipients . It plans to expand to about 25,000 Indiana members in the spring of 2005.
CareSource will be one of only two nonprofit Medicaid health care plans operating in Indiana. “We think that is a selling point,” Morris said.
About CareSource
Established in 1989, CareSource is a nonprofit health care plan that serves more than 348,000 Medicaid consumers in Ohio and almost 12,000 Hoosier Healthwise consumers in Indiana. CareSource covers all required services and offers extra benefits such as a 24-hour nurse hotline, a gift certificate program for pregnant members and transportation to doctors’ appointments.
CareSource is affiliated with CareSource Management Group (CSMG), which offers a full spectrum of services for companies that operate Medicaid managed care plans. Among CSMG’s services are administration, including claims processing and payment, case and medical management, provider relations, quality improvement, and regulatory compliance; 24-hour services, including a nurse hotline; and financial consultation and turnaround. CSMG administers Community Choice Michigan, a Medicaid managed care plan serving 48,000 members in Michigan.
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