As a technology-enabled provider, Sprinter Health partners with health plans to support members across all lines of business, helping them to get the care they need in a more convenient and efficient way. By offering 20+ preventive care services in a single home visit, Sprinter Health impacts heavily weighted quality measures and drives HEDIS, RAF and CAHPS performance. Three years ago, Sprinter Health introduced diabetic retinopathy exams with the Welch Allyn RetinaVue care delivery model as part of its core service offerings.
Blood draws for HbA1c have been a core service of Sprinter Health. The move to offer diabetic retinopathy exams with the Welch Allyn RetinaVue 700 Imager, as part of its in-home care delivery model, aligns with the overall goal of providing members with comprehensive care in a setting that meets their needs. Providing access to the annual diabetic retinal exam for members who might not otherwise complete it due to access to care issues helps them properly manage their health and avoid serious complications.
“We have many members with access to care challenges, and going into the home has helped break down these barriers — allowing us to proactively identify eye conditions that may need further care from providers,” said Jane Flaherty, RN, Head of Managed Care.
“Leading quality at health plans for many years, diabetic measures have always been a priority with a focus on how to improve diabetic eye exams. The RETINAVUE care delivery model has proven to be easy to implement and scale quickly, which is extremely valuable for clients. Sprinter Health has been able to deliver on improved quality for the Eye Exam for Patients with Diabetes (EED) HEDIS measure with very high readability rates.”
— Jane Flaherty, RN, BSN, MBA, Head of Managed Care, Sprinter Health
Over the past three years, Sprinter Health has expanded its diabetic retinopathy program from a one-camera pilot to offering eye exams in more than 20 states, with new markets launching every quarter. As the technology-enabled in-home provider has expanded and partnered with leading national health plans, having a solution that can scale to meet the demands of a growing patient population has been critical.
“A major factor in selecting the RetinaVue solution was the camera’s ease of use,” says Flaherty. “Clinician training and education has been seamless, which has been crucial as we scale our workforce. Our Sprinter clinicians are working with patients in their homes. To ensure we provide a comforting and high-quality patient experience, our clinicians need to be well-trained and confident in their ability to use the camera to complete the diabetic retinal exam.” Other considerations were the ability to integrate the solution with Sprinter’s in-house care delivery platform.
Sprinter Health’s ability to offer diabetic retinal exams has been appealing to its growing number of health plan partners. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-aged adults 20 to 74 years of age, and less than 60% of people with diabetes have the recommended yearly screenings for diabetic retinopathy.1
“Not only are we supporting our health plan partners by helping them meet their quality measure goals, but we are also helping to ensure our members have vital information about the health of their eyes and if follow-up care is needed to preserve their vision.”
— Jane Flaherty, RN, BSN, MBA, Head of Managed Care, Sprinter Health
With early diagnosis and treatment, severe vision loss from diabetic retinopathy is 95% preventable. The RetinaVue care delivery model allows Sprinter Health to provide proactive, preventive care that can help avoid potential complications and close care gaps.
“Our members are extremely satisfied that they can complete a diabetic retinal exam during an in-home visit,” says Flaherty. “This is a very specialized service that we have made accessible to our members. Not only are we supporting our health plan partners by helping them meet their quality measure goals, but we are also helping to ensure our members have vital information about the health of their eyes and if follow-up care is needed to preserve their vision.”
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