[Ohio-talk] FW: VisionAware's Provider of the Month: Medical Mutual, A Health Insurance Company That Goes Above and Beyond for Members with Disabilities - VisionAware

Sat May 13 17:18:24 UTC 2017

Congratulations to you, Suzanne, and to your company. You are doing such
great things for the disability community!

Best Regards,
Sheri Albers, Vice President
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
513.886.8697
Sheri.albers87 at gmail.com

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio-Talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Richard
Payne via Ohio-Talk
Sent: Friday, May 12, 2017 7:02 PM
To: 'NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List'
Cc: Richard Payne
Subject: [Ohio-talk] FW: VisionAware's Provider of the Month: Medical
Mutual, A Health Insurance Company That Goes Above and Beyond for Members
with Disabilities - VisionAware

I thought this was great information one of our own and a  partner in the
movement.  Richard Payne,  President National Federation of the Blind of
Ohio
937-396-5573
Rchpay7 at gmail.com
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back

-----Original MAware's Provider of the Month: Medical Mutual, A Health
Insurance Company That Goes Above and Beyond for Members with Disabilities -
VisionAware

All,

May is Older Americans Month.  Therefore, I wanted to share an article that
the Americans Foundation for the Blind wrote celebrating and highliting
Medical Mutual's efforts to provide reasonable accommodations for seniors
and the blind in Ohio.  My department is featured in the article.  There is
a picture of us there as well.  

Read below and there is a link to their website  for more information on
seniors and the blind.  

Suzanne

Editor's note: In keeping with Older Americans Month, VisionAware is
highlighting programs that provide "extra" assistance to older people with
vision loss. Read about how Medical Mutual is meeting new rules related to
accessibility with health programs while "going the extra mile" in providing
needed services.

It all started with a phone call. Last year, a visually-impaired woman
contacted Medical Mutual to ask if she could get a copy of her Evidence of
Coverage book in  braille. That's when the health insurance company's
Quality Care Navigation department jumped into action.
Medical Mutual Quality Care Navigation department From left to right Erica
Hufgard, Amanda Renta, Suzanne Turner and Kimberly Howard 

Caption: Medical Mutual's Quality Care Navigation department; From left to
right: Erica Hufgard, Amanda Renta, Suzanne Turner, and Kimberly Howard

The team quickly found a local source-the Cleveland Sight Center-to help get
her exactly what she needed. "After receiving that call, we wanted to help
her as quickly as we could," explained Suzanne Turner, a Quality Care
Navigator at Medical Mutual. "We also figured there must be other members
who need additional help, so we took it upon ourselves to find out and see
what we could do."

Note: A Quality Care Navigator works with a cross disciplinary team to
provide outreach services to Medicare and Affordable Care Act enrollees,
providing assistance with navigation of health care services and community
resources, benefits optimization, peer support, and other relevant services.
The Quality Care Navigator helps to identify social, cultural, and
demographic barriers to achieving health outcomes, maximizing
self-management, and promoting wellness. 

Assessment of Accommodation Needs of Members with Disabilities

The team began laying the groundwork by identifying members with special
needs and generating ideas for developing ways to better serve those with
vision impairment. The team created an assessment for members to provide
feedback on their preferred accommodations.

Types of Accommodations Offered

That assessment, combined with the team's dedication, resulted in a formal
partnership with the Cleveland Sight Center to make a variety of documents
available in several formats. Members can now receive their Evidence of
Coverage books, provider directories, Explanations of Benefits (EOBs), and
more in braille, large print, email, audio, and on CD. American Sign
Language interpreters can be provided to translate difficult or confusing
information. Member ID cards can be printed in large type. Company
representatives will even call members to read documents over the phone. "We
want to do what we can do to help members understand their insurance
policies, so they can get the care they need," said Turner.

Reading Information on Prescription Bottles

Reading information on prescription bottles is also a challenge for visually
impaired members. Medical Mutual partnered with Express Scripts to provide
members with a ScripTalk machine, a device that will read everything on pill
bottle labels. It's sent free of charge to members as long as they have
Express Scripts for their prescription drug coverage.

Help with Other Needed Services

In addition to making accommodations to help members understand their
insurance and prescription information, Medical Mutual found that some
members need help finding transportation. Some need to find a cane, talking
device or blind rehabilitation services. Some just want to know how they can
get access to braille or audiobooks. "Anything that members need to help
them live as independently as they can, we try to provide," said Turner.

Program Expected to Expand as Older Population Grows

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires that health
insurance companies make reasonable accommodations for people with
disabilities. Medical Mutual serves its members by working with them
individually to identify, review and meet their needs in a holistic manner.
This program has been in place for just over a year and is expected to grow
as baby boomers age and more and more members of all ages with needs are
identified.

"It means a lot to people with disabilities to stay informed, educated, and
on equal footing with our non-disabled members," said Turner. "Our team is
glad to help them in any way we can."

More Information About Medical Mutual's Accommodations Efforts

If you'd like more information about Medical Mutual and the company's
accommodations for people who are visually impaired, please call Suzanne
Turner at 216-687-6538. Medical Mutual serves people in the state of Ohio.

Editor's Note on Health Care Rules

Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued
regulations reinforcing and building upon the longstanding disability
nondiscrimination requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and
other laws. Under these  important regulations that apply to much of
America's health care service delivery infrastructure, physical
accessibility to medical facilities, as well as access to digital and other
forms of information and technology, must be provided to patients and their
family members with disabilities.

http://www.visionaware.org/community/announcements/visionaware%27s-provider-
of-the-month-medical-mutual-a-health-insurance-company-that-goes-above-and-b
eyond-for-members-

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