The Latest News from Ibis Health

In what can be viewed as a significant step toward improving the health and quality of life for retirees, enrolled in Medicare and suffering from chronic health conditions, insurance powerhouse UniCare has partnered with Senscio Systems to offer Telehealth services.

 

The partnership, which has been endorsed by Mass Retirees, will make available Senscio’s Ibis Health platform to retirees enrolled in UniCare’s Medicare Extension Plan. Ibis is designed to help retirees manage chronic health conditions at home, using a specialized tablet device. Conditions include COPD, hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions, arthritis, hypertension, kidney disease, high cholesterol, depression, and anxiety disorders.

 

Currently, Ibis Health is covered by Medicare and UniCare enrollees who live in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire and is expected to develop in Florida in the coming months. With the growth of Telehealth and growing body of evidence of the effectiveness of such platforms in managing chronic illnesses, insurers such as UniCare have taken notice.

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“Our mission at UniCare is to support our members’ healthcare journey and provide the tools and resources they need to better manage their health. We know that healthcare needs to be a lot more personal and a lot easier for it to be effective, and the Ibis Health platform is a great example of the kind of personalized, at-home innovation we can offer to members dealing with chronic conditions.” David Morales, UniCare G.M.

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By focusing on better managing chronic health conditions, the goal is to help retirees live healthier lives, with fewer instances of hospitalizations. In doing so, retirees can experience a better quality of life and remain living independently in their own homes.

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Fewer hospitalizations and healthier retirees also result in a natural reduction in healthcare utilization and overall healthcare costs. For this reason, UniCare and other major insurance companies have begun to focus heavily on steps that can be taken to help enrollees stay healthy and better manage chronic conditions.

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“We are very excited that UniCare and Senscio have come together to offer Ibis to Medicare enrollees. As members know, we work closely with both companies. Each provides excellent service to retirees,” said Mass Retirees CEO Shawn Duhamel. “For certain retirees managing chronic illnesses, Ibis Health is a fantastic and easy to use tool. If we can lower healthcare costs, while helping retirees live healthier and better lives, then that is a true win-win.”

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A Massachusetts-based company, Senscio was founded by Piali De, PhD. De created the Ibis Health platform after witnessing the shortcomings of the healthcare system in managing her aging mother’s chronic illnesses.

 

“We’re setting a national standard for chronic health management of our most in need population. We are proud to partner with medical practices and insurance companies to provide daily health management to all our members, while reducing healthcare burden and cost.” Piali De, PhD., Senscio founder and CEO.

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Retirees enrolled in UniCare’s Medicare Extension Plan, who also suffer from two or more chronic illnesses, may receive notice from UniCare and/or Senscio in the coming months inviting you to participate in the Ibis Health program. For more information, please visit www.IbisHealth.org. 

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