By David Hamilton, president of Government Healthcare Solutions for Xerox.
Medicaid is experiencing unprecedented growth in 2014. A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation claims that enrollment in the program increased an average of 8.3 percent – faster than in 2012 and 2013 – influenced by expansions under the Affordable Care Act.
As we look ahead to the next two years, Medicaid is expected to have an even bigger role, with millions of people expected to enroll for the first time.
According to a recent Forbes Magazine article, enrollment in Medicaid is projected to increase by 13.5 million by 2016. This outlook is buoyed by a July 2014 report from the Obama Administration’s Council of Economic Advisers, which pointed out that if states do not expand Medicaid, “…millions of their uninsured citizens will not experience the improved access to health care, greater financial security, and better health outcomes that come with insurance coverage.”
This article in The Atlantic claims people actually do like Medicaid, and that governors who previously opposed Medicaid expansion “…are starting to come around.”
Efficient Programs and Quality Care
Indeed, this demanding time for Medicaid is a chance for Xerox to show how we have been – and continue to be – a trusted and reliable partner for states, organizations and, ultimately, patients. For more than 40 years, we have delivered healthcare solutions and expertise that enable 36 states (and the District of Columbia) to run their programs more efficiently, without compromising the quality of care – including states that have decided to expand their Medicaid offering, such as California, Colorado and New Hampshire.
We address critical areas of Medicaid: administration, enrollment, fraud prevention, IT solutions, and more. And those are just systems and programs that run in the background.
Products that Help Patients Stay Healthy
In fact, we have products that you can see, hear and touch, like the Due Date Plus smartphone app, which is part of our Pregnancy Management Solutions that help prevent pregnancy complications and reduce hospital readmissions by providing women with instant access to information and health resources, such as 24/7 nurse support.
On its own, Due Date Plus is a first-of-its-kind offering that manages high-risk pregnancies. But it’s actually just one example of our comprehensive suite of services that has helped states meet their wider goal of improving total population health.
For instance, through our partnership with the Wyoming Department of Health, Xerox helped decrease the number of Medicaid-related emergency room visits by 8 percent with the launch of WYhealth in October 2012. In the process, the state’s 30-day hospital readmission rate also dropped from 7.4 percent in 2012 to 6.9 percent in 2013.
Medicaid’s growth outlook means more people can get access to the healthcare they need. For Xerox, it’s our chance to strengthen support of Medicaid through continuous innovations that not only help Medicaid programs provide much needed access to care for citizens, but the bottom line as well.
More Information about Healthcare Offerings from Xerox
Request a meeting with us at the National Association of Medicaid Directors Fall 2014 Conference. Send an email to Allyson.Burroughs@xerox.com, our vice president of Marketing and Communications for Government Healthcare Solutions at Xerox.
You will find a complete overview of our government healthcare solutions and capabilities at www.xerox.com/govhealthcare or by subscribing to HealthFocus, a newsletter of industry news and information that broadens perspectives and encourages conversation. Send an email to govhealthcare@xerox.com for details.
Read more articles about the healthcare solutions available from Xerox in the Simplify Work archives.
