Inland Empire Health Plan Wins State Innovation Award

November 6th, 2020 — Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) was recently awarded the prestigious California Department of Healthcare Services (DHCS) Innovation Award for 2020. The award was based on IEHP’s groundbreaking work using location intelligence to reach high-risk members and providers in geographic areas affected by power outages, wildfires, and other natural disasters.

This is the fourth time the health plan has received this honor—more times than any other health plan in California. In prior years, the health plan received the Innovation Award for its forward-thinking efforts in creating the IEHP Housing Initiative (2018), BH Integration and Complex Care Initiative (2017), and the Transitional Care Project (2015).

“As a health plan, our number one priority is supporting our members and the communities we serve,” said Dr. Karen Hansberger, IEHP chief medical officer. “In emergency situations especially, we need to be able to sustain that support. Using this intelligence, we can quickly identify and reach our high-risk members and providers, connect them to our multidisciplinary care teams, and assist in meeting their needs, including relocation to safe and stable environment.”

To make this happen, IEHP partnered with geospatial technology company Esri to implement their location intelligence project.

“We are so thrilled for IEHP and the well-deserved recognition bestowed on them by winning this award. We join in congratulating them for this outstanding achievement,” said Dr. Este Geraghty, Esri chief medical officer. “This acknowledgement is a testament to IEHP’s drive to continually innovate and improve member outcomes through location intelligence.”

By overlaying data from local utilities, emergency response authorities, and IEHP’s patient records, the health plan developed an application that allows frontline staff to identify member’s homes and facilities that are in proximity of wildfire perimeters or power shutoffs.

This capability was a tremendous help to the health plan during the 2019 California Wildfires. Using this intelligence, the health plan was able to monitor, relocate and support members who rely on electrically based durable medical equipment (such as ventilators), ensuring continuity of care for members.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized for our innovative efforts to better serve and support our members and communities,” said Jarrod McNaughton, IEHP chief executive officer. “It’s important to us that we be available to our members, especially when they need us most. We will stop at nothing to fulfill that promise and we will continue to actively adapt and evolve to show up for our members, no matter the circumstance.”

To learn more, visit, dhcs.ca.gov.