What Health Plans Need to Know About At-Home Health Testing

In recent years, healthcare has witnessed a significant shift towards patient-centered care and innovative solutions that empower patients to take control of their health from home. At-home health testing, in particular, have emerged as a game-changer in healthcare delivery, offering convenience, accessibility, and personalized insights to patients. For health plans, understanding the implications and benefits of at-home diagnostics is crucial in shaping comprehensive healthcare strategies that prioritize patient satisfaction.

How At-Home Health Testing Works

At-home health tests improve access to healthcare by enabling patients to collect samples like blood, urine, or stool at home and send them to labs for analysis. This innovative approach addresses barriers like transportation challenges, work commitments, and childcare obligations, particularly benefiting remote and vulnerable populations. This paradigm shift enhances patient convenience, privacy, and trust in healthcare, ultimately improving health outcomes and reducing disparities in access to medical services.

How At-Home Health Testing Closes Care Gaps 

‍Gaps in healthcare, where patient care falls short of recommended standards, pose significant challenges in delivering optimal health outcomes and experiences. At-home diagnostic testing emerges as a pivotal solution to address these gaps, offering a multifaceted approach to healthcare delivery. First, by promoting preventive screenings, providers and health plans can leverage at-home testing to facilitate regular vetting for various conditions, enhancing quality metrics like HEDIS and Medicare Star Ratings and member health outcomes. 

Second, at-home health testing, coupled with telehealth services, enables proactive management of chronic conditions, allowing healthcare providers to act with timely interventions. Additionally, telemedicine platforms streamline access to specialists, overcoming geographic barriers and ensuring patients receive timely expert care. Ultimately, at-home health testing empowers patients to actively engage in their healthcare, bridging care gaps and improving healthcare outcomes. 

Why Kit Return Rates Matter for Health Plans

The effectiveness of at-home health testing hinges on a crucial step: returning the test kits for analysis. While the convenience and privacy they offer are undeniable benefits, low kit return rates present significant challenges for health plans integrating at-home health testing into their coverage. From a cost management perspective, unreturned kits mean payors bear the cost without reaping the benefits of screening insights, straining budgets and potentially increasing healthcare costs. Without high kit return rates, health plans lose out on higher HEDIS and Medicare Star Ratings. 

To address this challenge, a multifaceted approach involving education, engagement, and incentives is essential. Clear instructions, digital health platforms, and incentives can motivate users to return their kits, ultimately unlocking the full potential of at-home health testing to improve health outcomes and contain costs. As healthcare continues to evolve, optimizing kit return rates remains a critical priority for health plans committed to delivering quality care efficiently.

‍Chat with Ash Wellness about how our platform improves kit return rates. 

How At-Home Health Testing Can Boost HEDIS and Medicare Star Ratings

At-home health testing, particularly dried blood spot card testing, offer a strategic pathway for health plans to elevate their HEDIS and Medicare Star ratings. 

• Medication adherence, a cornerstone of patient care, is closely scrutinized by both rating systems. By facilitating timely lab completion through DBS cards, at-home diagnostics ensure uninterrupted medication consumption and enhance overall adherence, positively impacting both HEDIS and Star scores. 
• Preventive screening efforts, such as those targeting kidney health for diabetes patients, can be bolstered through the distribution of DBS cards via mail, improving HEDIS scores. 
• At-home health testing enables remote HbA1c testing for diabetes care, aligning with HEDIS guidelines and Medicare Star Rating criteria, which prioritize diabetes management and glycemic control. 

Other Benefits of At-Home Health Testing For Health Plans

• Improved Patient Engagement: At-home health testing empowers patients to actively participate in their healthcare journey by providing them with timely and relevant health information. This increased engagement can lead to better health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs in the long run.
• Early Detection and Prevention: By enabling early detection of health issues and risk factors, at-home diagnostics facilitate preventive interventions that can mitigate the progression of diseases and prevent complications. This proactive approach aligns with the goals of value-based care models and promotes population health management.
• Enhanced Access to Care: Particularly beneficial for members in remote or underserved areas, at-home diagnostics eliminate geographical barriers to healthcare access. Patients no longer need to travel long distances or wait for appointments to undergo routine tests, improving overall healthcare efficiency and equity.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: The data generated by at-home health testing provides valuable insights into patient health trends, allowing health plans to identify population health needs, tailor interventions, and optimize resource allocation. This data-driven approach enables more targeted and effective care delivery strategies.

Challenges and Considerations

While at-home health testing offers numerous benefits, health plans must navigate certain challenges to maximize their effectiveness. These include ensuring the accuracy and reliability of home testing devices, addressing data privacy and security concerns, and integrating at-home health testing into existing care delivery models seamlessly. Additionally, effective patient education and support are essential to promote proper utilization of home healthcare tools and interpretation of results.

How Ash Wellness Supports Health Plans With At-Home Health Testing 

Ash Wellness is dedicated to supporting health plans in leveraging the benefits of at-home health testing to enhance member care and drive improved outcomes. Timely detection and intervention facilitated by at-home testing lead to early identification of health issues, reducing long-term care costs for patients and health plans alike. Additionally, at-home testing promotes enhanced patient engagement, resulting in better adherence to treatment plans and healthier lifestyle choices, ultimately contributing to higher quality scores for health plans. 

Ash Wellness offers a comprehensive at-home testing solution, featuring customizable API-first and white-label platform, kitting services, provider network management, lab contracting, and testing. With a focus on data security, privacy, and seamless integration with existing healthcare ecosystems, Ash Wellness is the ideal partner for health plans seeking to implement at-home diagnostic testing effectively.

Final Thoughts On At-Home Testing for Health Plans

The adoption of at-home health testing represents a transformative shift in healthcare delivery, offering patients unparalleled convenience, accessibility, and personalized insights. By closing care gaps, boosting HEDIS and Medicare Star ratings, and enhancing patient engagement, at-home health testing holds immense promise for improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. While challenges such as low kit return rates must be addressed, the potential benefits far outweigh the obstacles.