(LONG BEACH, CA – April 5, 2006) — SCAN Health Plan today
launched a “first-in-the-nation” program that fully
recognizes the critically important role family members and
close friends play in the ongoing well-being of seniors.
Through the free “Family and Friends” program, SCAN members
can designate one relative or close friend to receive a
variety of information directly from SCAN throughout the
year – often the same information the members themselves
receive – as well as access to a wealth of previously
members-only services.
“Through their time, involvement and genuine caring, family
and friends are incredibly important when it comes to
assuring good healthcare for seniors,” said David Schmidt,
CEO of SCAN Health Plan. “This new program recognizes that
and makes it a whole lot easier for these concerned
individuals to have the information they need to become
actively engaged in the care and support of their loved
ones.”
If a SCAN member chooses, their designated individual can receive:
- A host of health information resources including SCAN newsletters, the acclaimed Healthwise for Life at-home healthcare manual, a health checkbook to record important medical information, and more.
- Benefits information concurrent with such information going to members, such as benefit change notifications, the Evidence of Coverage book, and the SCAN drug formulary.
- Access to medical information by phone from a registered nurse, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This same service is available directly to all SCAN members.
- Access to a Caregiver Resource Line to get assistance with questions about community support services, advanced care planning, and SCAN caregiver support services.
- Online resources. SCAN has added a section to its Web site (www.scanhealthplan.com) that provides a wealth of resources for caregivers including tips and reference sheets on a variety of topics such as managing difficult behaviors, home safety, and help for caregivers.
Traditionally, resources such as these are only available to
health plan members. However, Schmidt believes having timely
and direct access to this kind of information will help
family members know what SCAN members themselves are
receiving and thus be better prepared to answer questions,
explain member benefits, and help with care planning.
Protected personal health information is not shared under
this program unless SCAN receives permission from the member
to do so.
“More than 25 percent of American families are involved in
some way with elder/parent care,” said Schmidt. “Life can be
particularly stressful for people caught between the demands
of raising children and caring for aging parents or other
relatives. We developed this program to support these family
members so that they can ultimately take better care of
themselves and the people they love.”
Founded in 1977, SCAN is one of the four largest Medicare
Advantage Plans in all of California and consistently ranks
as one of the state’s fastest growing. SCAN currently serves
more than 80,000 seniors in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside,
San Bernardino, Ventura and Kern counties. In addition to
its health plan, SCAN also manages one of the largest and
most successful Multi-Purpose Senior Service Projects (MSSP)
in California providing community-based, long-term care and
in-home personal-care coordination for low-income frail
seniors. Further information may be obtained at
www.scanhealthplan.com.
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