Let’s face it. There’s a lot of health-related information on the internet. Not sure whether that lingering cold needs some antibiotics? Google that and you’ll get bundle of responses, but it’s often not easy to know which source to trust.
Community Health Options offers its Members a solution with access to Healthwise®, which like Health Options, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to your health and wellbeing. Through Healthwise, you can search for symptoms and find solutions that fit your needs. And that search won’t yield questionable results. Instead, you’ll get unbiased, evidence-based and research-driven answers to your most pressing health questions.
You can, of course, search for information about physical symptoms, but you can also search for topics that support your mental and emotional wellbeing. For example, start typing “optimism,” and you’ll be taken to a page with resources to help you work through negative thoughts and anxiety.
Working toward your health goals also requires knowing how and why to use healthcare. To that end, Healthwise offers a section called “Wise Health Consumer,” which includes a range of topics to help you make the right decisions for your needs in partnership with your providers. This section helps you know which questions to ask at an appointment, when you should go to the emergency room, and can even help you create a health and wellness plan that fits your unique goals.
You can find Healthwise under the Health & Wellness tab on the left side of your Member Portal dashboard. If you need help finding it or setting up your Member Portal, please call our Maine-based Member Services team at (855) 624-6463 for assistance.
Many of us are waiting weeks or months to book medical appointments. Or taking a long drive to get to the only provider taking new patients—often more than an hour away. And once in the office, chances are we’re spending more time in waiting rooms just for a routine appointment.
The national shortage of healthcare workers has been well-documented, and Maine is feeling it, too, with access to providers emerging as one of the greatest barriers to treatment. By the end of 2022, Maine had just 580 doctors practicing family medicine, an 18% decline from 2019, according to The Portland Press Herald, leaving fewer doctors for a growing population.
During the pandemic, patients discovered the convenience of telehealth and began meeting with their providers through a phone call or video chat from the comfort of their own homes. The concept certainly wasn’t new—Community Health Options Members had access to Amwell® behavioral telehealth well before Covid-19 struck.
That concept has expanded to virtual primary care, giving people the option through an online care team, expanding access to care. Alongside its traditional provider network, Community Health Options now offers Members 18 and older the option to choose a virtual-first primary care team through Firefly Health.
When it comes to health outcomes, many studies have shown patients miss fewer virtual appointments, helping them to stay on track with their health needs. And in a recent pilot program, Walmart employees with diabetes who used virtual care saw a 24% average reduction in glucose levels and patients with hypertension had a 14% reduction in blood pressure, the company said in 2023 when it expanded its program to Maine, among other states.
