WINTER 2014/15
this issue
Meridian
Ranked #1
in ILLINOIS
Help your Patients
Avoid the Flu p.1
See Page 4.
Quality Improvement
at Meridian p.2
Communicating with
your Patients p.3
PrimeMeridian
ILLINOIS
Help your Patients Avoid the Flu
The CDC modified their vaccine recommendations for the 2014-2015 flu season:
• The flu vaccine (immunization/nasal) is free of charge for Meridian Health
Plan members (through age 18) to providers enrolled in the Vaccines
for Children program
• Meridian Health Plan will reimburse providers for administering
the flu shot only for members 19 years and older
Children 6 months – 8 years old may require two doses of the flu
vaccine. Children of this age should receive a single dose of the
2014-2015 vaccine if any of the following criteria are met:
• One seasonal flu dose received in 2013-2014
• Two seasonal doses received in any season since July 1, 2010
• Two or more seasonal flu doses received before July 1, 2010
and one or more doses of monovalent 2009 (H1N1) vaccine
• One or more seasonal flu doses received before
July 1, 2010 and one or more doses of seasonal flu
vaccine since July 1, 2010
If you have any questions,
call our Quality Improvement
department at
312-705-2900.
FLU
SEASON
AHEAD
Asthma Web-Based
Training for Continuing
Education Credits
Meridian would like to tell
you about a free asthma
webinar that takes 75
minutes and counts towards
CME/CEU credits. For
more information or to
register, visit www.mhplan.
com, select your state,
and click on “Providers”.
The Asthma Webinar
information is on our
Provider Orientation page.
Help us get to 1,000 “likes”
on Facebook!
Follow us on Twitter
@MeridianHP!
Our Provider Network
Development staff
is here to help.
Do not hesitate to
contact your Provider
Network Development
Representative or the
department directly at
866-606-3700.
2
Quality
Improvement
at Meridian
This past year was a year of achievement for Meridian Health
Plan of Illinois! Meridian was awarded Commendable Accreditation
status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA),
and was named the #1 health plan in Illinois and #10 in the nation
based on quality scores.
Meridian had the goal of reaching the 90th percentile in numerous
HEDIS® measures, and reported 20 of 29 reportable measures in
the 90th percentile. We are honored that you have partnered with
us in providing such a high level of preventive care and services to
our members. In 2013, Meridian expanded its Care Coordination
department to offer community-based coordination and long term
services and supports, and continued proactive monitoring of
diseases such as diabetes, COPD and asthma. Member surveys
indicated high levels of satisfaction with interactions between the
member and his or her primary care provider.
Our network expanded to 10,000 providers
with more
than 155,000 members throughout the state. Meridian held
member focus group and advisory committee meetings, as well
as community stakeholder committee meetings, throughout the
year to gather personal experiences of Meridian members and our
provider and community stakeholders. The core culture of Meridian
is Quality, and efforts to provide high quality care are prominent
in every program. For more information about Meridian, Quality
Improvement activities, or to view the Provider Manual, please visit
www.mhplan.com/il.
Communicating
with your Patients
Meridian conducted its annual CAHPS survey about
member satisfaction. Meridian scored better in
every key area, thanks to all your help and support!
One area identified for improvement was provider
communication. Members have concerns about how
well doctors communicate, and this rating was only in
the 50th percentile compared to national benchmarks.
Here are a few tips to communicate more clearly with
your patients:
• Listen. One useful tool is conducting active
listening. Summarize the patient’s concerns back to
them when they are talking. This ensures an accurate
understanding of the patient’s problem, and makes
them feel that you are genuinely listening. It’s also
important not to interrupt the patient, as studies show
this makes them less likely to share information.
• Keep it simple. Patients do not have the extensive
medical knowledge, and big words can be scary.
They also convolute the message, and
make it difficult to follow orders.
TECHNOLOGY
OVERLOAD
• Ask patients what they know and what
they want to know. This gives you a starting
point for the discussion. A lot of doctors are surprised
to learn how little patients know about their own
health!
• Be empathetic. Patients feel that their thoughts
and feelings matter, and consider care to be more
than clinical results.
• Slow down. Speaking more slowly gives patients
the opportunity to process what is being said, and
develop any questions they might have.
Meridian recently had a member
meeting where members voiced
their concerns about technology
in exam rooms. They felt that
staff has lost their personal touch
by turning to their computers the
whole time and not looking at the
patient when speaking. Please
be aware of this when conducting
visits! It’s an easy (and free) way
to better the patient
experience.
3
Happy Holidays from the
Meridian Family!
Meridian Ranked #1 in Illinois
According to NCQA’s Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014-2015, Meridian Health Plan of
Illinois is ranked the #1 Medicaid HMO in Illinois and #10 in the US. Meridian earned 5 out of 5, the
highest possible rating, for Prevention, and Treatment, and 4 out of 5 for Consumer Experience.
4
of providers like you!
NLPS02 IL
We’re proud of this achievement and could not have done it without the support and participation