MDwise News

By Jeffrey Wheeler, M.D., Medical Director, MDwise If you’re a parent, you know talking with your kids about things that matter is important. From bullying to diversity and from money management to “The Birds and The Bees,” the topics are critical for pre-teens and teenagers. These days, though, parents should include something else in that conversation: a discussion about what healthy dating relationships look like. Prom season gives us a good opportunity to talk about why this matters. The obvious rea...

Because Medicaid coverage protections are no longer included in the federal public health emergency, eligibility reviews begin in April 2023. Many Hoosiers could lose their benefits. Taking action now could help you stay covered! To make sure you have the right health coverage, visit the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) benefits portal and update your member information as soon as possible.

Statewide, 26.3% of K-12 students still need to get all required shots for school , according to the Indiana Department of Health. When the federal COVID-19 public health emergency ends, many Hoosiers could lose their Medicaid benefits if they don’t take action. To help with both issues, Edgewater Health, MDwise and St. Timothy Community Church are hosting a Back on Track Wellness and Health Education Fair Saturday, Feb. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Timothy Community Church, 1600 W. 25 th Ave. in G...

The Family and Social Services Administration’s (FSSA) Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning (OMPP) has officially awarded MDwise a contract to provide risk-based managed care services statewide to Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in the State of Indiana’s Hoosier Healthwise and The Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) programs. The contract covers a four-year period beginning Jan. 1, 2023, with two one-year extensions possible. MDwise has been providing health care benefits to Hoosiers on Medicaid through the Ho...

In its ongoing effort to reduce health disparities, MDwise has hired Anye Carson, MPH, as its first health equity officer. Carson spearheads a health equity action plan that applies a health equity lens to all aspects of the organization. It will advance health equity and incorporate culturally and linguistically appropriate services for MDwise members. Most recently, a senior clinical operations associate at Parexel, Carson previously worked for the IUPUI ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) ...

There’s good news and bad news about a new word that recently entered our daily lives: Tripledemic. The good news is that it’s unlikely you will personally suffer any sort of triple-whammy illness suggested by the word “tripledemic.” The bad news is, unless we each take measures to protect ourselves from COVID, the flu and RSV, our health care system may be unable to respond to our most pressing needs. In some ways, the tripledemic is simply a product of timing. While we have made strides against COVID,...

BROOKLYN and INDIANAPOLIS, September 20, 2022 — MDwise, a health maintenance organization serving more than 410,000 Hoosiers on Healthy Indiana Plan, Hoosier Healthwise and Medicare Advantage, announced today a new partnership with Cityblock Health, a value-based healthcare provider for Medicaid, dually eligible and lower-income Medicare beneficiaries, to bring comprehensive, personalized care to approximately 10,000 Hoosiers. Cityblock delivers medical care, behavioral health, and social services to in...

NCQA has awarded MDwise its Multicultural Health Care Distinction, which indicates the organization has met or exceeded rigorous standards in serving diverse populations and that it is providing culturally and linguistically sensitive services and working to reduce health care disparities. MDwise is a health maintenance organization serving more than 410,000 Hoosiers in the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), Hoosier Healthwise and Medicare Advantage. It is one of only two HMOs in Indiana to have earned the Mul...

After the pandemic hit, nearly all doctor’s appointments to keep people healthy were canceled, including shots for kids. According to the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), 39% of Randolph County K-12 students have not gotten all required shots. The problem is more concerning among Randolph County 12th graders, who are 45.8% behind and will age out of programs that track vaccinations once they reach age 18. To help families catch up and get children “back on track” with their shots, MDwise, the Randol...

After the pandemic hit, nearly all doctor’s appointments to keep people healthy were canceled, including shots for kids. According to the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), 30.1% of Howard County K-12 students have not gotten all required shots. The problem is more concerning among Howard County 12th graders, who are 39.3% behind and will age out of programs that track vaccinations once they reach age 18. To help families catch up and get children “back on track” with their shots, MDwise, the Howard C...