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Ted Herman, Hudson Health Plan, 914-372-2204
therman@hudsonhealthplan.org

 

HUDSON HEALTH PLAN HITS THE 100,000TH MEMBER MARK


Rapid Growth Attributed to Excellent Customer Care as well as Web-Based Enrollment and Increasing Demand for Public Health Insurance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2010

(Tarrytown, NY)…Good news on the health care front: Hudson Health Plan, a 22- year-old not-for-profit Medicaid Managed Care organization, enrolled its 100,000th member in June, announced Georganne Chapin, President & CEO, today. In the past two years, Hudson’s membership has soared 25 percent, a number she attributed to the total dedication of the entire organization. “To us, 100,000 members isn’t a number – it’s 100,000 human beings who rely on us to take care of some of their most intimate and difficult problems concerning their health care. That’s why, day after day, we pull out all the stops to give the best service possible to our members, potential members, and our providers.”

Hudson’s growth also is a sign that Hudson Valley residents continue to need free and low-cost health insurance, despite signs of an economic recovery, according to Mark Santiago, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “Many people simply can’t afford the cost of private coverage. There is enormous demand for public health insurance,” he emphasized.

While other Medicaid plans compete with Hudson, Ms. Chapin stressed that members choose Hudson based on its solid record of offering a network of high quality providers and delivering excellent customer care. In a just-released New York State Department of Health survey, Hudson led all other state Medicaid plans in seven out of nine areas measuring member care, including the ability to get care quickly, good communication from health professionals, and well-informed, courteous and respectful customer service. “Hudson was the only plan where members consistently gave Hudson high marks for the overall rating of a health plan,” Ms. Chapin explained. “We received high marks for how members rated their personal doctors, the specialists they saw most often, every health care interaction they experienced, and their overall impression of our organization.”

Hudson also has invested in technology to make it easier for people to apply for public health insurance. It is the only Medicaid plan that permits individuals to self-screen, begin an application, and schedule appointments online. Mr. Santiago noted, “We have totally revamped the enrollment process to make it faster and easier. Because the process is online, people have access to us 24/7, so they can contact us when it is most convenient for them.” In addition, Hudson has improved opportunities for face-to-face meetings. Last year, it moved its Orange County office to the Newburgh Mall, and in 2008 it expanded its office in Monticello. Hudson also operates four Community Outreach Vehicles (COVs) with private offices and Internet access. The COVs travel to reach people at rural areas, health fairs, and high foot-traffic locations, giving members and potential members a chance to ask questions or begin the enrollment process.

Ms. Chapin said the 100,000-member mark is a tremendous achievement for Hudson, considering it had just 318 members in 1988. “From the beginning, our mission has been to promote and provide access to excellent health services for all people,” she explained. “Every service we perform, every innovation we implement, is another step toward achieving that goal. Now 100,000 people are entrusting their health to us. This milestone validates that we are doing what we promised to do.”

About Hudson Health Plan

Founded in the mid-1980s by a coalition of community health centers, Hudson’s mission statement is "to promote and provide access to excellent health services for all people." The Tarrytown-based not-for-profit organization provides comprehensive medical and dental coverage to more than 100,000 members in New York’s Hudson Valley. Hudson has been driving health care innovation by developing technology to support clinical quality initiatives and to streamline the enrollment process for Medicaid Managed Care, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus. According to A Consumer’s Guide to Medicaid Managed Care in the Hudson Valley, it has earned the highest ratings in overall satisfaction among Medicaid Managed Care members in the Hudson Valley region every year since 2003.

Hudson Health Plan is the winner of the 2010 Platinum Award for Overall Case Management from the Case Management Society of America’s Case in Point Magazine; the Case Management Society of America 2007 Award for Excellence in Medication Adherence Management; the 2006 Poughkeepsie Journal Diversity in the Workplace Award; the 2005 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Corporate Award for Diversity from the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester; the 2005 Advancements in Health Care Award from Hudson Valley Life and Hudson Valley Parent; and the 2003 Community Leadership Award from The New York Health Plan Association. Visit Hudson on the Web at www.hudsonhealthplan.org.

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