VIVA HEALTH responds to health crisis with personal outreach

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- VIVA HEALTH wants its 100,000+ members to know their health insurance company is there for them.  To get that message out, to answer questions and to allay fears as best they can, VIVA HEALTH representatives have started making calls this week, member by member and household by household.

Nurses, social workers, community health workers and customer service representatives are asking VIVA HEALTH members if they are well and if they have the resources they need – medicine, food, essential supplies and more.  If members do not have critical resources, the VIVA HEALTH staff will work to help resolve the issues.

"I really want to show our members that we are here for them and that we are being proactive during this crisis," said Donna Thomas, R.N., Executive Director of Health Services at VIVA HEALTH. "We are not waiting for members to call us. We are making the outreach to them."

If the VIVA HEALTH staff member calling learns that a member is sick and in need of urgent help or has a pressing need, that member is connected quickly to a VIVA HEALTH nurse or social worker who can help the member determine what to do. If the member has a medical or social need that is not urgent, a nurse, pharmacist or social worker will call back by the next business day to see how VIVA HEALTH can help the member access treatment or available community assistance.

VIVA HEALTH is first calling members it has already identified as high risk.

"It will take several weeks to get to everyone," Thomas said. "We are starting with our must vulnerable population and working our way through.  We hope to connect with as many members as possible while this crisis continues."

As part of the outreach, VIVA HEALTH employees will also reassure members that their coverage will address the health needs related to the novel coronavirus illness.

VIVA HEALTH is here to support our members, health care providers and the public. Specifically, VIVA HEALTH is expanding coverage for medically appropriate care from its network providers, including:

• COVID-19 testing and testing-related office, urgent care or emergency department visits – Covered at 100%.
• Telehealth visits – Covered at 100%.
• Pharmacy – Early refills of maintenance medications with home delivery options available.
• Coronavirus treatment – Covered in the same way as any other illness, including hospital care if needed.

VIVA HEALTH members with questions about coronavirus or any other aspect of their health care coverage can call VIVA HEALTH's toll-free customer support line, which can be found on the back of their member I.D. card. Or, visit https://www.vivahealth.com/coronavirus/ for the latest updates.

About VIVA HEALTH:

Founded in 1995, VIVA HEALTH has a contract with the federal government to offer Medicare Advantage plans in 31 counties in Alabama and is licensed by the state to offer employer-sponsored coverage in 66 counties. Part of the UAB Health System, VIVA HEALTH has close to 50,000 VIVA HEALTH members and provides or administers health benefits to an additional 56,000 members in employer group health plans. VIVA HEALTH was recently named by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best Medicare Advantage health plans in the country for 2020.  Additionally, VIVA HEALTH was selected by Modern Healthcare as one of the 2019 Best Places to Work in Healthcare. VIVA MEDICARE has earned one of the top customer satisfaction survey scores in the state for the past ten years in the Medicare & You Handbook. VIVA HEALTH is headquartered in Birmingham with offices throughout the state, and customer service questions are answered by employees in Alabama. 

Contact: Cheryl Garove – cgarove@uabmc.edu for photos, video or telephone interview with a VIVA HEALTH representative.

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SOURCE VIVA HEALTH, INC.