14 Oct Health Data News Roundup: SDOH and 2020 Medicare Advantage; Florida Blue News; and VA Enables Secure EHR Data Sharing

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Roundup from IMAT Solutions. As the power of data continues to grow in the healthcare arena, today’s care organizations need to be on the forefront of all news and trends to help ensure that their data analytics efforts deliver accountable and informed care. Each week, we will provide you with the actionable news you need to meet these goals.

Payers Roll Out 2020 MA Plans With Increased Focus on Social Determinants
With Medicare Advantage open enrollment coming up, major payers have announced plan details for 2020, including geographic expansions and new benefits addressing population health factors.

Employing Social Workers to Address Social Determinants of Health
Florida Blue is using social workers to help community members in their retail centers address social determinants of health.

3 Strategies for Payers to Improve Member Medication Adherence
Ensuring members’ medication adherence is a step toward decreasing payers’ overall costs and improving patient outcomes, and here are three strategies for enhancing these efforts from Health Payer Intelligence.

Zing Health to Launch Tech-Driven Approach to Tackle SDOH
Zing Health Choice IL will launch a new “hands-on, data-driven approach” to address the social determinants of health its members are facing in 2020.

BCBSTX’s New Medical Centers Seek Multicultural Value-Based Care
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) opened the first of ten medical centers with Sanitas Medical Center (Sanitas) — with an emphasis on their pursuit of multicultural, integrated, value-based care.

VA Enables Secured EHR Data Sharing With Community Care Providers
Starting January 2020, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) will no longer require veterans’ hand-written authorization for EHR data sharing between the VA and participating community care providers.

Zen Healthcare IT Partners with IMAT Solutions to Enhance Health Data Exchange Offerings
Last week, Zen Healthcare IT (Zen), a leading healthcare data interoperability technology and services company, announced that it has partnered with IMAT Solutions, a leader in delivering innovative, real-time, healthcare data management and population health reporting solutions.