Alignment Healthcare, Inc., a company focused on redefining senior care, has officially announced the launch of its third annual environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, which highlights the Medicare Advantage (MA) company’s strides, during the year 2023, to advance member care and access, reduce its environmental footprint and, support the diverse needs of its members. Talk about the given report on a slightly deeper level, we must begin from the work Alignment Healthcare has done in the context of delivering better health outcomes for seniors. Here, its report showed how the company achieved a 44% reduction in emergency room visits, 38% fewer inpatient admissions, 45% reduction in skilled nursing facility admissions, and 28% lower 30-day hospital readmission rate, when compared to 2019 Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) rates. Next up, we must dig into how it earned 5 out of 5 Stars from the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare (CMS) for both completed breast cancer screenings and body/bone density scans among female members, while simultaneously completing colorectal screenings among eligible members.
Moving on to the company’s efforts towards improving access to care, this includes expanding access to more than 30,000 affordable medications, a number roughly 20,000 more than the year prior. This it markedly did through comprehensive prescription coverage. To give you a more concrete example of the advances made here, in 2023, 91% of pharmacy claims cost members $10 or less.
Alignment Healthcare’s bid to improve care access also includes making nutritious foods and necessary medication available at the doorsteps of more members across California and Nevada through an industry-first agreement with Instacart. This, in turn, would allow the company to address food insecurity and a lack of reliable transportation, both factors also known as the top barriers to senior health and well-being, according to Alignment’s 2023 Social Threats to Aging Well in America report. Joining that would be the way Alignment has empowered more high-risk members to be seen by redesigning its signature Care Anywhere program for members with chronic illnesses, including late-stage diabetes and kidney disease. The validation for this program is provided by those 70% eligible members who participated during its 2023 edition, marking an increase from 61% reported during 2022,
“Leading with a serving heart is foundational to who we are as a company and how we treat our members and one another,” said John Kao, founder and CEO of Alignment Healthcare. “Because of this core value, our members entrust us with their health and well-being as they age. We bring that same thoughtful attention to how we operate as a business and impact the community and world around us.”
Beyond that, Alignment has also hired and trained more than 200 bilingual concierge care navigators. The stated action, like one might guess, did a lot to reduce average call time by 50% in 2023, as well as provide personalized and culturally nuanced care and support. Another thing the company did was to enhance its culturally tailored plans i.e. Harmony HMO and the ONE (el ÚNICO) to include more language-preferred materials, providers and service agents; traditional wellness services, and local grocery store options. Alignment also made a pledge to consider diversity, equity and inclusion factors when partnering with vendors. The same, for instance, is evident in its collaboration with HCP National, one of the largest minority-woman-owned commercial insurance brokerages across U.S. On top of it, it would introduce more people-focused policies to its package of employee benefits, such as paid parental, bereavement leave, and university tuition reimbursements.
Founded in 2013, Alignment Healthcare’s rise up the ranks stems from introducing a whole new path in senior care. The company offers, at present, more than 50 benefits-rich, value-driven Medicare Advantage plans that, in turn, serve 53 counties across six states. To build upon this, the company also consistently collaborates with nationally recognized and trusted local providers to deliver coordinated care, powered by its customized care model, 24/7 concierge care team, and purpose-built technology called AVA®.
