Use Health Exec Christine Black Talks Neurological Disabilities, Care Coordination Discussion

Use Health describes itself on its website as “[improving] the health and well-being of people with neurological disorders while lowering the overall cost of care. ” The company promises a holistic approach to care management, saying it offers “a better way to manage complex neurological conditions from diagnosis to chronic condition” with specialized programs designed for “devices that detailed accident and maintenance plans.” In short, Utilize Health is committed to helping people in what is known as a changing world when “constant information is delivered without a map or instructions.”

The Tennessee-based Utilize Health project is of great interest to Christine Black. Black, who serves as the company’s vice president of business development, explained to me in a recent interview that she was acting as her husband’s caregiver after he suffered an “injury and spine” that made him a “spiritually dependent quadriplegic.” This live experience makes it unique as he gets a close-up view of what neurological care looks like in everyday life. Black reiterated Utilize Health’s mission statement, telling me that the company is a “managed care company that supports people living with complex neurological conditions” such as strokes, traumatic brain injuries, back, and many more.

The motivation behind Utilize Health’s work is to give people a strong plan of action after being diagnosed with a neurological condition in hospital. What often happens, Black said, is that the disease is given to patients as they are being admitted; the problem is once they’re out of the hospital, at which point Black said “the job is left up to the individuals and their families to try to help manage everything.”

In fact, “everything” is as difficult as the disease itself: it includes things like insurance, medications, financial problems, and the many “pieces” that Black says often leave out. people are spinning without proper support. they help put it all together. Use Health wants to be that buffer.

“There are not large enough case management teams to support them,” Black said of the issue facing patients and their families who need a strong support system. “Because of the many aspects of the situation itself, there are many different factors at play: determinants of public health, physical activity needs… many different areas. People need help they don’t get from their donors.”

The views of black people are neither vague nor exaggerated. Use Health, he told me, has talked to patients and providers—including doctors and primary care specialists—to identify problem areas in this field. For those with neurological conditions that require complex care, there is a “big hole in the market.” Because of her husband’s needs, Black is well aware of the gap mentioned above.

“I can attest to the need for collaborative care,” he said.

As with many things in the digital realm, Black said that while it’s possible that Utilize Health could exist in an alternate universe where technology and the internet weren’t as powerful, the reality is that they would not function “properly” without it. Technology has opened many more doors in terms of not only access, but the rapid spread of information and connectivity; Use Health can do what it does because everyone is so connected now. Black also noted that the company has developed tools for people dealing with depression and other issues. The key role of technology in Utilize Health’s implementation is equally important; without access to tools like electronic medical records, or EMRs, the company’s success would be taken away—and that’s to say nothing of the availability of something like Google to help families find services such as Use Health for their loved ones. The biggest problem is that, as Black said forcefully, Use Health is working now in Tennessee and only Tennessee.

If you’re a Tennessean dealing with a neurological condition and need help, Black said Use Healthy is “the choice” about coordinating care at scale. There are companies focused on doing things around renal care or cancer care, but for those living with what he called “acute or chronic neurological conditions,” Black said. Use Health has the ability to fully support these people.

When asked about the feedback, Black told me it’s been “great” as he continues to add Use Healthy Life has been praised for helping people improve their “self-reported anxiety and depression” as well as assisting with basic socioeconomic needs such as access to employment, housing, and food security. Use health care managers who are important to people who go about their daily lives, as Black says they are “trusted advocates who help them achieve better health outcomes.”

Regarding the use of health plans for the future, Black said that the company is investigating a contract with several health care plans such as Medicare Advantage in order to expand its reach. Broadly, it is the hope of Blacks that “more attention is paid” to people with neurological needs in terms of care and intensive support. She was very candid when she told me about her experience, telling me that it was “a struggle” for her husband to collect the materials that he and his family needed even though he was “well educated” and has family members with respected professions such as doctors and lawyers. Black people and family struggled to get her husband’s nursing care by visiting him at home. It is easy for the Black man and his family to pay for the care of domestic workers because his extreme needs dictate that taking him out for public care is impossible. In short, it is difficult for a Black woman and everyone else to “deal with all the needs” that her husband has.

“If we can, as a community, we aim to provide care that is sensitive to each person and their family – meeting them where they are at home – which will lead to a better experience of care in general,” he said.

Black continued: “Most health plans I’ve talked to have strong divisions of case management and care management. However, the problem is that, often their members do not trust them because the members refuse different services from those payers. A company like [Utilize Health] and others who do outsourced care management, I think we add value because we become a trusted source. I think it is [healthcare] the great interest of the plan to separate care management and other plan offerings because, as I said, they make important decisions for approval and things that their members need. Often members may reject information and not want to work with the plan because there is a push and pull between the member and the payer. That’s where care management companies like ours can add a lot of value by being a trusted member resource. ”