The battle against COVID-19 is being fought on many fronts, and the most critical tasks are being performed by our doctors and health care professionals to help the most vulnerable patients: senior citizens and Vital beneficiaries.
“In order to help them, we at Triple-S have designed a strategy that considers the need to access tests to help identify possible COVID-19 cases, as well as financial support and protective equipment to ensure the safety of physicians, health care personnel, and patients,” said Dorelisse Juarbe Jiménez, Senior Vice President of Medical Groups and Government Contracts.
Access to Tests and Protective Equipment
She explained that one of the most important initiatives has been the delivery of virus screening tests to these providers, as well as providing them with tents and other materials to set up temporary facilities to perform the tests in a secure environment.
Juarbe Jiménez stressed that these rapid tests are not only for exclusive use by Triple-S members and beneficiaries, but that they are also available to anyone, regardless of their health plan.
Additionally, in order to boost testing among the population, the company led the way in covering tests without copayment or coinsurance and reached agreements with more than 70 clinical laboratories to perform rapid tests. The number of participating laboratories keeps growing.
Medically necessary services related to the treatment of COVID-19 are also covered, both in-hospital and outpatient. Thanks to an agreement with the organization Voces, face masks have been delivered to over 50 nursing homes as well.
Likewise, Triple-S has delivered protective equipment, such as face masks (surgical and N95), gloves, and disinfectant, to promote a safe work environment for health care professionals and their patients.
Financial Support
During this emergency period, Triple-S has worked to provide financial support to its providers and hospitals by means of payment advances, expedited claim settlements, and capitation advances, in order to guarantee they will have the resources necessary to continue providing services to our members.
Support for Vulnerable Patients
The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the vulnerability of many patients, especially those with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, kidney diseases, and cardiac conditions. “Part of what we’re doing with the support of our medical groups is identifying the immediate needs of our members during this emergency and addressing them by providing food, access to medications, and transportation,” she explained.
Patients who have been hospitalized during the emergency have the support of the Triple-S Contigo program, which makes sure they recover successfully at home, coordinates their follow-up appointments with their primary care physician or specialist, and guides them on how to protect themselves from COVID-19 to avoid complications.
Assistance initiative includes support for providers
The Importance of Education on COVID-19
Another important phase of our response has been a continuous effort to educate our members and the general public about the virus. Part of this initiative involves medical groups, primary care physicians, and medical office personnel, with the intent of helping them promote safe practices for social distancing, prevention, and advice about health care policies and regulations related to the emergency.
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