ChenMed's Commitment to Prevention Shined Through The Pandemic with Higher Breast Cancer Screening

ChenMed’s Commitment to Prevention Shined Through The Pandemic with Higher Rates of Breast Cancer Screening Than Other Healthcare Models in Non-Pandemic Years

80.4 Percent of ChenMed Patients Received Breast Cancer Screenings in 2020, Compared to 65.5 Percent of Medicare Patients Seen Between 2015 and 2017

ChenMed, one of the largest providers of primary care for Medicare-eligible seniors, has provided its patients more preventive care during the coronavirus pandemic than the national average, according to a recent statistical study. For three critical measures of prevention, the study compared ChenMed data from 2020 against performance data from traditional fee-for-service Medicare providers over the years 2015-2017. Despite industry reports of missed preventive care, ChenMed patients fared better in screenings for breast cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular care in 2020 than how fee-for-service beneficiaries fared when no COVID-induced barriers to prevention were present.

According to the study, 80.4 percent of eligible ChenMed patients received breast cancer screening in 2020, compared to 65.5 percent of Medicare patients seen between 2015 and 2017. In ChenMed patients being monitored for diabetes, 94 percent received HbA1c testing, compared to 88.3 percent of Medicare patients. And for those patients being treated for cardiovascular disease, ChenMed gave statin therapy to 87.8 percent of applicable patients in 2020, compared to 74.3 percent of Medicare patients receiving it between 2015 and 2017.

“Far too many people miss important tests, screenings, and treatments for high-risk diseases, even when it’s not a pandemic. COVID-19 has made it even more difficult for patients to get the care they deserve,” said Christopher Chen, M.D., chief executive officer of ChenMed. “At ChenMed, we prioritize providing critical preventive care, staying open throughout the pandemic so we can diagnose and manage our patients’ high-risk conditions.”

ChenMed’s results are important because they not only provide evidence for the benefit of value-based care where responsibility is held for outcomes rather than volume, but because the company achieved these results for an underserved population that needs preventive care the most. Data have long shown that minorities and lower socioeconomic patients receive less preventive care and have disparities in quality and prevention metric performance. ChenMed’s patient population outperformed industry averages despite being majority racial and ethnic minorities of lower socioeconomic status.

The company, which operates nearly 100 Chen, Dedicated and JenCare Senior Medical Centers located in 12 states, also increases access to preventive care by providing door-to-doctor transportation and giving patients their doctor’s cell phone number. ChenMed doctors work to see their patients once a month, which is 10 times more than the national average. And to ensure care continued throughout the pandemic, ChenMed doctors and staff made more than 1.2 million “Love Calls” to patients, checking in on them and encouraging preventive screenings and tests.

“Preventive screenings are key to detecting and managing diseases in their early stages,” said Roberto Ochoa Planchart, M.D., director of hematology oncology and palliative care at ChenMed. “Providing seniors with access to these tests along with the coordinated care they receive goes a long way to helping keep them healthy.”

About ChenMed

ChenMed, headquartered in Miami, is a privately owned medical, management and technology company that delivers the high-touch and personalized primary care Medicare-eligible seniors need to enjoy better health. The company operates nearly 100 senior medical centers in 12 states. Named one of Fortune 2020 “Change the World” companies, a “Most Loved Workplace” by Newsweek Magazine, and a Certified Best Place to Work® by the Best Place to Work Institute, ChenMed brings concierge-style medicine and better health outcomes to the neediest populations. ChenMed brands include Chen Senior Medical Center, Dedicated Senior Medical Center, and JenCare Senior Medical Center.

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