SUPPORT FOR YOUR UNIQUE HEALTH JOURNEY AT EVERY TURN

At Blue KC, we believe that in order to improve healthcare for our members we need to challenge ourselves to be better. We regularly evaluate our programs and services and strive to make improvements that will support each member’s health journey. In 2019, we expanded services and programs to better treat the whole patient and to ensure complete and holistic coordination of care.

Care for the whole you

The key to treating the whole patient is addressing both their physical and behavioral health needs. In 2019, Blue KC increased efforts to provide our members with affordable access to behavioral healthcare. Blue KC offers our members a full range of behavioral health solutions including managed behavioral health, an employee assistance program, a student assistance program and health coaching.

"As a park & recreation agency, Johnson County Park & Recreation District is focused on the health and well-being of the citizens of Johnson County by enriching our community through the excellence of our many parks, recreational, cultural and educational programs.  We know that these initiatives will only succeed when planned, developed and executed by highly engaged and well-cared for employees.  That’s why the integration of behavioral health with the primary health care offered to our employees through Spira Care is so valuable to our employees.  We know that a well-balanced employee is a happier, more productive employee.  Having behavioral health resources in the same location as primary care resources saves our employees time, money and most of all, addresses ALL their health care needs in one setting."
–David Grant, Human Resources Director, Johnson County Park & Recreation District

Someone to advocate for your behavioral health

At Spira Care, members have access to behavioral health consultants who can support them in identifying the care that best meets their needs. With this integrated approach to healthcare, Spira Care providers are better able to provide holistic care to our members. Studies have shown that integration between physical and behavioral health improves outcomes and reduces costs. Spira Care behavioral health consultations are covered at no additional cost to members and are designed to help them better understand their conditions, with the medical provider and behavioral health consultant working in tandem.

When struggling to balance the demands of home and work, the providers at Spira Care were life savers, literally. While my primary care physician was able to attend to my physical needs, he also partnered with a Behavioral Health Consultant in the same location who was able to address my emotional and mental health well-being as part of a coordinated treatment plan. The techniques I learned from both my physician and the Behavioral Health Consultant have enabled me to regain control of my emotional and physical health, taking things one day at a time, while keeping my level of stress and anxiety under control. I couldn’t have done it without them!
- Anonymous Spira Care Member

Combatting the opioid epidemic

In addition to our behavioral health programs, we knew we had to establish a program that would aggressively address prevention, treatment and harm reduction related to opioid use. Through our Opioid Management Program, Blue KC laid the groundwork to effectively provide support across the continuum of care starting with prevention. We’ve delivered provider toolkits containing the CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids and more information on our Opioid Management Program to all network providers. Spira Care Centers use universal guidelines for opioid prescriptions. In the absence of a state-wide prescription drug monitoring program, Blue KC established an online portal that allows network providers to monitor all of their patients’ prescriptions. We have reduced total opioid prescription claims by 33.8 percent and reduced the number of members taking opioids by 36.5 percent since initiating the Opioid Management Program.