CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts contends that a letter to the editor appearing in the Aug. 5 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine makes "very damaging allegations that are both false and unfounded about the care and access CeltiCare provides."
The letter, written by two resident physicians at the Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance and a Harvard Medical School faculty adviser, indicates that access to care has become a problem for immigrant and low-income patients who recently transitioned to the CeltiCare plan. Research reported in the letter was based on the work of a group of interns, residents and medical students from several Boston-area hospitals and medical schools.
"CeltiCare's management of the Commonwealth Care Bridge Program (a state-subsidized insurance program) has been by all measures a success story," said Robert LoNigro, MD, chief medical director of the CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts.
As evidence, CeltiCare cites independent and third party research commissioned by the company in March 2010, which demonstrates that health plan members have a high level of satisfaction with the care and member services they have received, including access to care, after their transition to the Bridge Program.
"This is due in large part to the caregivers and their commitment to delivering the highest quality of care," LoNigro said.
The Boston-based consulting firm Marttila Communications conducted the patient satisfaction research for CeltiCare.
Although access to new doctors has emerged as a concern for CeltiCare members, 69 percent said it is easy to get to the location of their new doctor's office, according to the Marttila research. About 70 percent said they were satisfied with the ease that they could get an appointment on relatively short notice when they called their doctor's office.
Other findings from Marttila's research include:
- Fifty-two percent of CeltiCare members are still seeing the doctor they saw previous to the switch.
- For those who are not seeing the same doctor, 68 percent said it was easy to find a new doctor.
- Of the respondents who have gone to the doctor since they changed over to CeltiCare, 91 percent are satisfied with the care their doctor has provided.
- In terms of insurance, 69 percent of CeltiCare members say they are satisfied with their health insurance coverage.
- Sixty-nine percent also reported overall satisfaction with the cost of their healthcare.
"We have worked hard with the state to create a solution for this vulnerable community and facilitate an effective transition of their care," LoNigro said.
A previous article about the letter in NEJM can be found here.