Over the past several years, Humana has made significant strides in growing its senior-focused primary care business, and a new study highlights areas where it's seeing success in this model.
The study, conducted by the Humana Healthcare Research team along with Harvard researcher J. Michael McWilliams, M.D., Ph.D., digs into data from six senior-focused primary care organizations on more than 421,000 patients who were enrolled in Medicare Advantage coverage in 2021.
It found that patients in these organizations had 17% more primary care visits across the board. This included 39% more visits among Black patients and 21% more among low-income patients, which can address disparities faced by these populations.
The study also suggests that patients who are engaged with a senior-focused primary care model see better outcomes on multiple quality measures including cancer screenings, medication adherence and controlled blood pressure. The researchers did note that future analysis is necessary to refine these findings.
"This study bears out what we see day-to-day in our approximately 300 centers, many of them located in underserved areas,” said Reneé Buckingham, president of Humana’s senior-focused primary care organization, in a press release. “Focusing on seniors in a value-based, team-oriented care model means that we can spend more time with patients, understanding the many social and other factors that play a role in overall health."
Buckingham said the findings help back up the company's thesis that there's value in growing access to senior-focused primary care.
"In fact, this data proves what we’ve known for some time. Senior-focused primary care improves well-being so those under our care can attain their best health and live their lives to the fullest," Buckingham said. "Increasing access to senior-focused primary care is an important lever in delivering better health outcomes for our members and patients.”