Last year, VHAN member Brownsville Medical Clinic (BMC) in West Tennessee lost its founder and main provider with the passing of Jerald White, MD. If not for the efforts from a group of hometown heroes, the Brownsville community would have lost even more than a universally loved physician; the entire practice could have crumbled in the aftermath. Instead, something inspirational happened. Read the full story to learn how BMC kept its doors open and even improved their quality performance in the process.

Over the past 11 years, VHAN has created $204 million in shared savings for VHAN health plans, resulting in $77 million in shared savings and quality bonuses delivered to members. This achievement is a direct result of our network members’ shared commitment to providing high-quality, low-cost patient care.

When a fragile relative returns home after a hospital stay, family members may be left to provide care they don’t have the experience to deliver, leading to physical and emotional distress. This was the case for a wife who didn’t understand how to manage her husband’s complex needs. VHAN RN Care Navigator Martha Merry stepped in with empathy and expertise. “She was in tears,” Merry says. “The first thing I told her was, ‘We’re going to help you. We are going to figure this out and I’m here for you.’” Read the full story to learn how the VHAN Care Navigation team assisted this family.

VHAN Clinical Pharmacist Lyndi Tarr knows how important it is to speak a patient’s language and relate to them as an individual. Recently, Tarr put this truth into practice when she veered off the usual path to help a patient who was struggling with medication adherence following a lengthy hospitalization.

Read the full story to learn how Lyndi tapped into a patient’s personal interests to help him understand his medications and improve his adherence.

When a new mom arrived for her first postpartum checkup, both her nurse and physician noticed that she seemed listless, depressed and strangely detached from her newborn. When the young mother expressed suicidal thoughts, the team recognized a severe case of postpartum depression and took action immediately. Under different circumstances, the doctor might have recommended visiting a local emergency room, but a call to VHAN’s Adult Behavioral Health Consultation line led to an alternative, and possibly lifesaving, approach.  

VHAN recently received Cigna CAC performance results for PY21, and we are happy to announce that the network performed remarkably well compared to market and national rates across key measures. According to representatives from Cigna CAC, VHAN’s efforts to identify and list actions for preventive care initiatives and improvements, along with quality measure reports, patient outreach and best practice-sharing contributed to the favorable results. Read the article for a full list of VHAN’s achievements.

While VHAN Social Worker Mary Brooks has worked on dozens of memorable cases, a recent experience with one particular patient stuck with her. The patient was discharged from the hospital with an open wound and a significant recovery ahead. Unfortunately, when she arrived home, she found that her air conditioning was no longer working in the middle of a heat wave in West Tennessee. Read the full story to learn how Mary found a way to get the air conditioning fixed and built trust with her patient.

In the future, social determinants of health are expected to play a more prominent role in healthcare payer models as the industry continues to recognize their impact on patient outcomes and overall healthcare costs. What do you need to know about the social determinants that affect your patients?

Many who have cared for a loved one at the end of their life understand the role social workers can play in helping patients and families make their way through a stressful and emotionally charged time. Providing social work services for palliative and hospice care can be extra challenging, but for VHAN social worker team manager Cate Mart, LCSW, the connections she establishes with patients and their families make her job gratifying and worthwhile. Read the full article to learn how Cate helped one family make important end-of-life decisions.