CDPHP is always seeking ways to improve its members’ experience of care and engagement in their health journey. The company accomplishes this by meeting members where they are in the health continuum, listening to their concerns, developing innovative health benefits and services, and removing barriers to care. Please note, our current quality scores may be reviewed here.
Health Benefit Enhancements
Family Health
CDPHP proudly supports and promotes the physical, mental, and social-emotional health of families at every stage of life. Its programs and services, as well as digital health applications like Ovia Health™ and virtual platforms like aptihealth, offer a full spectrum of family support in the following areas:
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Reproductive health (pregnancy, prenatal, and postpartum care)
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Child health and development
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Parenting
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Mental health
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Fitness, wellness, and nutrition classes
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Support for caregivers of elderly parents
NEW for 2023!
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Doula Reimbursement. Research has indicated that continual support from a doula – a person trained to advise, inform, and offer emotional and physical comfort to a mother before, during and after the birth of her child – is associated with a range of positive birth outcomes. These improved outcomes include a:
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39 percent decrease in the risk of Cesarean birth
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22 percent decrease in the risk of preterm birth
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Fourfold decrease in the likelihood of having a low-birthweight baby
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Twofold reduction in the likelihood of experiencing a birth complication
As of January 1, 2023, CDPHP began offering members enrolled in eligible commercial plans reimbursement of up to $1,500 for services provided by a certified or trained doula. Through the end of 2023, it processed 97 claims for doula reimbursement, with 69 members receiving reimbursement for their out-of-pocket costs.
“As a mom of three, working with a doula my 3rd time around changed my entire birth experience for the better. My doula supported me through a complication while pregnant and was there for me when my breeched baby needed to be flipped. The flip was successful but immediately put me into labor -- three weeks early. My doula helped me coordinate care for my other two young children and deliver my third the way I had hoped -- in a safe and calm environment, unmedicated, where my voice was heard. I'm so grateful that my health plan added this benefit in time for my 3rd child as I wouldn't have considered a doula otherwise.”
– CDPHP Member, February 2023
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Mental Health Visits for as Little as $0. Recognizing that mental health is just as important as physical health, CDPHP lowered the cost of treatment through aptihealth for eligible NYS members aged five and older who are dealing with such issues as depression, anxiety, grief, and substance abuse disorders. For as little as $0, these members can benefit from 24/7 access to personalized, online therapy, supportive, in-app direct messaging, medication management, and more.
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Enhanced Fitness Reimbursement. CDPHP has long considered fitness to be a cornerstone of living a healthy life and so has designed plan benefits to make fitness programs and tools more accessible for its members. In 2023, the company added reimbursement for the purchase of a wearable fitness tracker to its fitness benefit for eligible members. The benefit now allows reimbursement of up to $400 per plan year for going to the gym or attending a digital fitness class and a combined total reimbursement of $200 for their covered dependents who engage in organized sports activities or other fitness programs.
New Medicare Benefits
Also in 2023, CDPHP introduced new enhancements to its benefit package for members enrolled in Medicare. These included the following:
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Up to $1,500 for dental services at the members’ dentist of choice
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Up to $400 annually to cover over-the-counter supplies
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$0 Copay for Tier 1 and Tier 2 prescription drugs
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Access to ALL local hospitals
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30 hours of in-home support services
CDPHP Health Hub
The CDPHP Health Hub launched on January 1, 2023, replacing CaféWell, the company’s former wellness program. The Health Hub offers a convenient platform, accessible 24/7 from a smartphone or computer, where members can learn about healthy lifestyle choices, powerful wellness resources, and log completed health-related activities. As they earn points for these activities, they become eligible for CDPHP Life Points® Rewards that they can then redeem for gift cards and merchandise, a donation to charity, or a contribution toward their Health Savings Account.
Prior to launching the new Health Hub, CDPHP created a total of 46 collateral pieces and email communications and hosted more than 40 training sessions for members, employers, and brokers to spur participation. Of the 308,000 members eligible for the program, 20,687 had enrolled by the end of 2023, and 61 percent sustained engagement with the platform at least monthly through the end of 2023.
Workplace Wellness
CDPHP continued to support health and wellness in workplaces throughout its service area with nearly 400 health promotion activities geared toward worksites. Workplace health services activities include educational campaigns, live workshops, onsite health screenings, policy and strategy advisement, asynchronous webinars, health fairs, vaccine clinics, benefits education, and employee challenges. CDPHP aims to help employers actively engage employees in their well-being to enhance the employee experience.
Member Advisory Committee
Much of the impetus for improvements in the CDPHP benefit portfolio comes from listening to CDPHP members. In 2023, the member advisory committee marked its sixth year of operations. The group is composed of 21 community members who come together to learn about the services and support CDPHP offers, as well as to provide CDPHP feedback on their health care experiences. On average, there are 12 members in attendance at meetings.
The meetings provided a forum for discussion of a range of topics. Over the course of the year, the group:
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Provided valuable feedback that guided the design of the company’s new headquarters at Wellness Way.
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Learned firsthand from Deborah O’Keefe, one of the committee members, about the care management services CDPHP offers. Her story was also featured in the CDPHP blog.
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Shared their top concerns about health care coverage, which included open enrollment changes, whether their providers would remain in the CDPHP network, potential delays of care due to prior authorization requirements, information and health literacy for the aging population, and dental coverage.
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Discussed the ways committee members engage with CDPHP and suggested improvements.
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Learned about Optum Home Delivery, the new mail order vendor for 2024, as well as the preferred pharmacy network, and shared some of the drawbacks of Virgin Pulse and Foodsmart Telenutrition programs.
Member Services Enhancements
The CDPHP member services team has improved several aspects of its operations to enhance member engagement and satisfaction. Last summer, the team rolled out an online, secure live-chat option for commercial and self-funded members that augments the company’s award-winning live and local telephonic support. The chat function, available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, is accessible through the member portal and connects members to the same service team with whom they are used to speaking. The chat system will be extended to Medicare and Select Plan members in the near future.
Also in 2023, the member services team was proud to achieve a 98.6 percent customer satisfaction score based on more than 100,000 post-call surveys completed by customers. The customer service team monitors all feedback and uses it to develop innovative improvements to eliminate or reduce customer friction. Below are some of the enhancements implemented by the team:
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Addition of an issue date to the member identification card to make it easier for members to identify the most recent ID card
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Development of email summaries with easy-to-follow instructions to help members navigate complex topics
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Simplification of the process for requesting fitness reimbursement
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Texting reminders to Medicaid members to select their primary care doctor (to improve continuity of care)
The customer service team also laid the groundwork for establishing a new Customer Connect site at Wellness Way. Staff will be available to assist members from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and an ambassador will be on-site to help patients navigate the building.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
CDPHP takes a holistic approach to inclusion and belonging, believing that everyone plays a role in creating a work and health environment where people feel seen, welcome, and heard. CDPHP recognizes, however, that many disparities persist in the health environment because of cultural differences, a lack of health literacy, and implicit bias.
In 2016, the company created the Diversity Matters workgroup – an internal committee of employee volunteers – to address these disparities and raise awareness of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in health care and in the workplace. These efforts continued in 2023 with the following activities and initiatives:
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The workgroup issued monthly DEI staff communications, hosted eight employee roundtable discussions, developed a health literacy activity, and collaborated with the Pride Center of the Capital Region on both community and employee events.
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CDPHP hired its first-ever health equity program manager, responsible for developing action-oriented plans that advance health equity for its membership.
The company’s commitment to promoting practices that advance DEI in the workplace and in the business community prompted The Albany Business Review to present CDPHP with an award for serving as a Diversity Equity & Inclusion in Business leader.
