BioIQ and HealPros, a technology-enabled company providing HEDIS and STAR improvement programs, have collaborated to deliver a comprehensive diabetes care gap closure solution to help health plans improve quality ratings for Comprehensive Diabetes Care (CDC) HEDIS measures. The joint offering will combine HealPros’ Diabetic Retinal Eye (DRE) exams with BioIQ’s convenient at-home health test kits and technology solutions.
Diabetes is one of the most costly and highly prevalent chronic diseases in the United States. Approximately 26.5 million Americans have diabetes, and seven million of these cases are undiagnosed. According to the American Diabetes Association, complications from the disease – such as vision problems and kidney failure –cost the country nearly $245 billion annually.
Anyone with diabetes is at risk of developing diabetic eye disease, which can permanently damage their vision and even lead to blindness. Certain factors can put some people at higher risk for vision loss, including age, duration of the disease, blood sugar control, ethnicity, hypertension, pregnancy and renal disease. According to the National Eye Institute, individuals with diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind than those without diabetes. And, people with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to develop glaucoma and 60 percent more likely to develop cataracts than those without diabetes. Fortunately, the blinding effects of diabetes can be lessened if detected and treated early.
In collaboration with HealPros, BioIQ will offer health plans a scalable, effective, solution that helps them meet requirements for all three CDC measures – retinopathy screening, HbA1c testing and HbA1c glucose control and kidney disease screening – all from the comfort of their own home in a single encounter. After setting up an appointment, a HealPros technologist arrives at a member’s home to perform the eye exam. Exam information is transmitted to BioIQ’s team of physicians for review through a secure, HIPAA-compliant portal and results are uploaded to the BioIQ Platform to be shared with health plans and members.
Health plans often struggle to engage hard-to-reach members and motivate them to complete important annual exams. By administering health tests in the member’s home, on their schedule, plans can remove common barriers to screening, such as transportation, mobility and even mental health challenges. The collaboration between HealPros and BioIQ will enable plans to address not only the DRE care measure, but additional measures using at-home test kits, including colorectal cancer screening. This allows health plans to meet HEDIS requirements while maximizing the effectiveness of at-home screening initiatives and improving the member experience.
To learn more about the joint solution, read the press release.