This week, The SCAN Foundation and Field Research Corporation released a fourth wave of survey results shedding light on beneficiaries’ experiences in Cal MediConnect health plans.
Enrollee confidence in managing their health conditions and satisfaction with their health services remain at high levels. The survey also reported fewer enrollees than opt-outs reported being hospitalized in the past 12 months.
“We’re pleased to continue to see strong evidence of Cal MediConnect’s positive impact on the lives of dual-eligible Californians,” said Jennifer Kent, Director of the Department of Health Care Services. “The decrease in hospital stays for Cal MediConnect enrollees is a sign that coordinated care can improve the health outcomes and quality of life of enrollees. We will continue to work with the health plans and other stakeholders to improve the program and ensure that more eligible beneficiaries learn about and enroll in this important program.”
To view the complete report on the wave 4 survey results, click here.
Read from the results of the Field Survey:
High Satisfaction Rates
Very large majorities of enrollees in Cal MediConnect in the Wave 4 survey continue to express confidence that they know how to manage their health conditions (83%), can get questions about their health needs answered (83%), and know who to call if they have a health need or question (84%). These proportions are similar to the levels of confidence expressed by enrollees in the Wave 3 survey earlier this year, but are somewhat higher than what enrollees reported in the first two survey waves in 2015.
| % Confident | Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | Wave 4 |
| Know how to manage their health condition | 79% | 77% | 81% | 83% |
| Can get questions about health needs answered | 80% | 79% | 81% | 83% |
| Know how to call if they have a health need or question | 81% | 80% | 86% | 84% |
Large majorities of CMC enrollees in Wave 4 also continue to report being satisfied with the health services they are receiving in each of seven areas tracked by the survey. These include: the amount of time their doctor or other staff spends with them (86%); the way different providers work together (83%); their choice of doctors (83%); the information their health plan gives explaining their benefits (81%); their choice of hospitals (79%); how long they have to wait to see a doctor when they need an appointment (78%); and their ability to call a health provider regardless of the time of day (76%). These satisfaction levels are again similar to what was observed in Wave 3, but are higher than those observed in Waves 1 and 2 with regard to their choice of doctors, the way different providers work together, and the information their health plan gives explaining their benefits.
Lower Hospitalization Rates
When examining the results of enrollees and opt-outs across all survey waves, fewer enrollees (24%) than opt-outs (30%) report having been an overnight patient at a hospital in the previous 12 months. Similar differences are observed when examining the results from the Wave 4 survey only. The differences in hospitalization between enrollees and opt-outs are noteworthy, especially given that there are no significant differences in the self-reported health status of the two populations, with 49% of enrollees and 50% of opt-outs saying they are in fair or poor health. However, compared to enrollees, opt-outs do include a somewhat larger percentage of beneficiaries receiving Long-Term Services and Supports and those using specialized equipment, such as a cane, wheelchair, scooter or special bed.
Lower hospitalization rates are reported by enrollees than opt-outs in three of the seven CMC counties – Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange.
The data is from the fourth wave of Field Research Group’s Rapid Cycle Polling Project, an ongoing tracking survey funded by The SCAN Foundation to evaluate the experience of beneficiaries transitioning into Cal MediConnect health plans and their experiences with the new program. To learn more about this and other CCI evaluation efforts, visit: http://www.thescanfoundation.org/evaluating-medicare-medicaid-integration.
On the Upper Tab you are still showing that Alameda County is a CCI County.
On the Upper Tab you are still showing that Alameda County is a CCI County.