Effective January 1, 2019, Independence will enter into an agreement with Aspire Health, Inc. (Aspire), an independent company, to provide our Medicare Advantage members with advanced illnesses and/or with severe symptoms from a chronic illness with additional support in their home at no cost.
What is the palliative care program?
Aspire, the nation's largest provider of home-based non-hospice, community-based palliative care services, provides individualized support to our members who are facing issues associated with advanced life-threatening illnesses. A palliative care support team of doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and social workers provides coordination of the member's care between the member’s treating physician and the Aspire palliative care physician. The program is covered at 100 percent by Independence for Medicare Advantage members.
Program benefits include:
- A palliative care clinical team that:
- is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week;
- is available to visit the member in his or her home and prescribe medicine when necessary to manage symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, or pain;
- works closely with the member's existing providers to coordinate care.
- Enhanced communication through a palliative care support team that works directly with the member and his or her family or caregiver to identify health care goals. The palliative care support team also helps keep the member's providers and caregivers informed of changes in his or her condition.
- Education for members and their families about the illness, plan of care, medications, available treatment options, and much more.
Members enrolled in this program also continue treatment with their primary care physician and other specialists.
You will be notified by mail if one of your Independence patients has been identified as a potential candidate for this program. In addition, you may be contacted by a representative from the Aspire clinical team to further discuss the member's care plan and how best to coordinate the member’s care with you.
Note: Independence members who are eligible for the Comprehensive Care Program or Tandigm Care Solutions should receive palliative care services through those programs.
For more information
If you have questions about this program, please review the Aspire website. If you cannot find the information you are looking for here and have further questions, please email us at palliativecare@ibx.com. Information can also be found on our website for this program at www.ibx.com/aspirepalliativecare.