Maryland Physicians Care and MyVirtualMPC

OVERVIEW

Maryland Physicians Care (MPC) provides free, quality health care services to Maryland’s HealthChoice enrollees by extending the full benefits of Medicaid. The group is supported by a strong network of hospitals, doctors, clinics and pharmacies to help members live healthier lives through education, support and quality programs. MPC offers MyVirtualMPC as a virtual care service members can use for easy access to local physicians. CirrusMD partners with MPC to provide the platform that enables MyVirtualMPC.

The Situation

It’s common for Medicaid plans to experience low member utilization of virtual care services, historically averaging less than 1 percent utilization.  As CirrusMD partners with Medicaid plan providers, opportunities to increase utilization are created by using an advantageous delivery platform, proven data points and analytics, and best practice-driven member marketing strategies. 

As the result of a recent program, MPC and CirrusMD achieved utilization 3X higher than national averages, by delivering a solution that provides members:

• Accessibility: Immediate, text-based care from real physicians.
• Cost benefit to plans and patients: High quality, cost-effective virtual care, free to members.
• Care navigation support: Whole person care, with seamless direction to follow-up care when needed.

Utilization Improvement Sparked Action

COVID increased utilization of MyVirtualMPC significantly, and for several months, MPC saw utilization around 4%. But as people returned to “normal” activities, utilization of MyVirtualMPC once again dipped. The team at MPC wanted to sustainably improve utilization, even beyond the pandemic.

“We set goals to drive more registration and utilization of MyVirtualMPC, our virtual care on-demand platform for Maryland Physicians Care members,” said Charles Buseck, Chief Operating Officer at Maryland Physicians Care. “Our Medicaid members want fast, free, easy access to the care they need, and with MyVirtualMPC, they can connect with a doctor from their phone or computer instantly, for just about any type of medical care or concern.”

Addressing Member Engagement

A joint team of MPC & CirrusMD experts created a marketing campaign that featured a sweepstakes for members; when members registered for MyVirtualMPC, they were also entered to win health-related prizes like fitness trackers. CirrusMD created and managed the outbound marketing communications. Texts and emails to MPC members were developed to promote the availability and ease of using MyVirtualMPC, with use case examples and reminders that the service is free to MPC members.  

Messages encouraged members to download the app, register, and whenever they needed, text with a doctor. Because MyVirtualMPC is available from 9am-9pm ET, 365 days per year, members get the care they need at a convenient time, from anywhere. 

“By partnering with CirrusMD, we created a dedicated campaign to increase awareness, user registrations, and utilization,” said Buseck. “Internally we set goals around these metrics, and the response was outstanding  – registrations increased by 7x and utilization grew nearly 1%.”

By using dedicated messages based on CirrusMD’s Partnership Marketing best practices, the impact on member registration and utilization was significant. Today, sustained member utilization of MyVirtualMPC is more than 3X the national average for virtual care solutions.

Focused on Positive Results

The campaign helped to change member behavior, as well as reinforce accessibility of care. “Once our members use MyVirtualMPC, they understand the convenience, value and quality of care they can receive in an instant, directly from qualified doctors,” Buseck concluded. “Our partnership with CirrusMD has demonstrated the value of marketing this service — our members are thrilled with the care they receive, and we know we can deliver the convenient, ongoing support our members need.”

CirrusMD brings industry expertise to help clients’ succeed operationally and strategically. With a data-driven approach, CirrusMD provides monthly reporting that not only clearly tracks activity, but also outcomes, including key metrics such as utilization data, referrals, repeat usage, overall patient experience, and redirection data that builds understanding of downstream savings and ROI.

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