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Signify Health clinicians meet people where they want to be: at home. As part of our In-Home Health Evaluation program, health plan members are eligible to receive a no-cost, in-home visit from a licensed, highly trained clinician. During these visits, a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant examines the member’s whole health, including mental well-being, and identifies potential barriers to care. We partner with many leading Medicare Advantage plans, as well as provide services to certain Medicaid and commercial plan members.

When President John F. Kennedy established Older Americans Month in 1963 there were just 17 million Americans over the age of 65. Today, that number is 54 million, and growing rapidly. Then as now, the needs of older Americans are too often not fully appreciated or acted upon.

While it’s no secret preventive measures are essential to keeping people healthy, many seniors wait for their annual wellness visit to gain updates on their health status. For individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes, preventive and diagnostic screenings and services provided as part of an In-Home Health Evaluation (IHE) can help fill the gap between office visits and serve as a hub for the continuum of care.

To fulfill its vision to achieve the highest level of health and well-being and to eliminate disparities in health care quality and access for all they serve, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) supports a range of initiatives designed to provide equitable, cost-effective, and person-centered care. This vision is ambitious, but achievable if all within the extended care team – and the organizations that support them – collectively embrace initiatives that meet the medical and nonmedical needs of beneficiaries in cost-effective ways. 

Time has a special meaning in geriatrics, for both patients and the geriatricians like me that treat them. Older patients are focused on maintaining their function and independence so they can enjoy every day-week-month as happily and healthily as they can. Geriatricians know that to achieve those goals, we need time to connect with patients on both a personal and professional level. Doctors have traditionally been lucky to spend even 15 minutes with their patients — just enough time to cover the chief complaint and maybe some chronic disease basics.