MHP HEALTHNEWS

Did you know that taking antibiotics when you don’t need them can cause antibiotic resistance? Antibiotic resistance is harmful. Antibiotic resistance is when your body’s bacteria get used to having antibiotics around. This means that antibiotics won’t work anymore and mild infections become more dangerous.

If you have a cold or sore throat, talk to your Primary Care Provider (PCP). Your PCP knows what kind of medicine is best to help you feel better.

If you need help making an appointment with your PCP or your child’s PCP, please call Member Services at 877-204-9132.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: ANTIBIOTICS & COLDS P1 IMPORTANT PROVIDER FORMS P2 UM DECISION MAKING P3 ONLINE WITH MHP P4

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Member Services hours of operation change

Member Services can now be reached Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. If you call before 10 a.m. or after 2 p.m., Member Services will have shorter wait times. If you ever have any questions about your health care with Meridian Health Plan (MHP), please call Member Services at 877-204-9132.

Become your own bodyguard. Some ways to stay cold and sore throat-free or feel better when you have a cold or sore throat are to:

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• Relax• Avoid drinking alcohol• Ask your PCP about over-the-counter medicine• Eat dark green, red and yellow fruits and veggies

• Sneeze and cough into your elbow• Avoid touching your face• Drink plenty of fluids• Breathe in steam• Exercise• Eat yogurt• Don’t smoke

Colds are caused by viruses. Sore throats are also often caused by viruses. Antibiotics do not kill viruses. The best way to treat a cold or sore throat is to avoid one. You can do this by washing your hands often.

ANTIBIOTICS DON’T WORK ON COLDS

Advanced Directives: Advanced directives are legal papers. They are used when you are very sick and cannot explain the kind of care you want. They let your family, friends and providers know about your end-of-life choices ahead of time. There are 2 kinds of advanced directives:

Living Will – A living will tells how you feel about care that will continue your life. You can take or say no to any of this care. Your living will becomes active ONLY when you are not able to make choices on your own.

Durable Power of Attorney – A durable power of attorney for health care lets you choose a healthcare agent who can make choices about your care when you are not able to.

Medicine List: Keep track of all medicine you take. This helps you, your family and your healthcare team take better care of you. Fill out a medicine list with your healthcare provider and remember to write down:

• All pills, vitamins and supplements• The drug name • When you take it (morning, afternoon, evening, bedtime)• How much you take• What it looks like• How you take it• The date you started taking it• The date you will stop taking it• Why you take it • Who told you to take it

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CAN WE TALK ?

Important Forms to

Talk About with your

Healthcare Provider

There are many forms you should fill out or meet with your healthcare provider about. Some of these forms are listed below.

Action Plan: Make an action plan with your healthcare provider to help control your health. It should have daily care, goals and steps to take if you experience symptoms. If you have questions about any of the forms listed above, please call Member Services at 877-204-9132 or visit our website at www.mhplan.com.

MHP providers and healthcare staff make decisions based on the care that is right for you and what is covered by your Medicaid benefits. This is called Utilization Management (UM). MHP does not reward providers for denying your care. MHP employees who make UM decisions are not rewarded for limiting your care.

At MHP, we want you to call any

time you have a question about your benefits, providers or any service you have asked for

or received. You can call Member Services at 877-204-9132. We are open Monday-

Friday from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. When an MHP representative answers the phone, they will greet you by telling you their name, title and company.

MHP has 24-hour phone coverage 7 days a week through our after-hours program. All calls you make are toll-free.

UM Decision Making

Care CoordinationTaking care of your health can be hard if you have a chronic (ongoing) health problem or disability. You may need to see many doctors or get special care. All these health issues can be too much to handle alone. MHP cares about your health and wants you to get the right help at the right time. MHP started Care Coordination earlier this year to help our members get the care they need. There are different levels of Care Coordination, such as Complex Case Management, Maternity Care Coordination and general Care Coordination. Members in all levels of Care Coordination are matched with a Care Coordinator who serves as their healthcare guide. Care Coordinators know the local area and what healthcare support is available for the members they serve. When a member is placed in Care Coordination, an in-depth Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is done to get a whole picture of the member’s health needs. The Care Coordinator then works with the member to make a Care Plan. Care Plans help find problems and make health goals. By being in charge of referrals, outpatient care and local support, MHP’s Care Coordination program ensures our member’s whole health needs are met.

Members are placed into Care Coordination by MHP. If you would like more information on the Care Coordination program, please call MHP at 877-204-9132.

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The Quality Improvement Program (QIP) at Meridian Health Plan (MHP) makes sure members get the high quality health care they deserve. The QIP reviews the quality of the services provided to our members by their Primary Care Providers (PCPs). The data found through the review allows MHP to identify areas that could be improved.

MHP uses national benchmarks to develop internal goals. Goals are developed to measure the medical care provided to the members, the satisfaction of the members and PCPs and how easily the members can access the care they need from their PCPs.

One of the main goals of MHP is to make sure members have access to the medical care they need and deserve. The Quality Improvement Program evaluates the PCP offices to make sure PCPs are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and PCPs are within a 30 minute drive from members.

Our member’s satisfaction is our top priority. If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please call the MHP Quality Improvement department at 877-204-9132.

QI PROGRAM UPDATE

Get Rewarded for Staying HealthyDid you know you can win prizes for getting preventive services such as a yearly

physical, immunizations or blood pressure checks? Call MHP at 877-204-9132 to

see what services you need. When MHP gets a claim for the service, you will be

entered into a raffle for prizes such as gift cards, diapers, iPads, Xboxes and more.

Good luck!

666 Grand Avenue, 14th FloorDes Moines, IA 50309

Monthly Member Email

As an MHP member, you can sign up to receive monthly emails from MHP.

The emails have healthy reminders and information about preventive health.

Call Member Services at 877-204-9132 or visit My MHP to register your email with us.

My MHPSign up for the online MHP Member Portal. My MHP is a special feature for our members. This secure web portal is a quick and easy way to:

• Request to change your PCP• Get a replacement ID card• Update your address and phone number• Request a Member Handbook• Find a PCP, specialist or vision provider in your area

You can sign up for My MHP online at www.mhplan.com/ia/MyMHP. You will need your Medicaid ID number to sign up. You can also call Member Services at 877-204-9132 for help.

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