Winter • 2023 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Walla Walla, WA Permit No. 44 El Paso Health PO Box 971100 El Paso, TX 79997-1100 Keep updated on COVID-19! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to learn more about COVID-19 and get some great health tips for you and your family. Find us at: facebook.com/ ElPasoHealthPlans; instagram.com/ElPasoHealth. Why teens should get the COVID-19 vaccine Although many have received the COVID-19 vaccine, there still remains a group of people who are unvaccinated. Among this group are young children and teenagers. Despite the idea that young children and teenagers aren’t at risk, it’s recommended that they get the vaccine. Here are reasons why they should get the COVID-19 vaccine: 1. Creating a safe environment. COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease, making it easy to pass around. The COVID-19 vaccine boosts immunity to prevent the disease from taking over the body. Getting the vaccine would help prevent the spread of COVID-19 among people of all age groups. 2. The benefits outweigh the risks. Factors that discourage children from getting the COVID-19 vaccine are the side effects, such as muscle pain and fatigue. Despite this, these effects are only temporary and will go away after a few days. It’s important to recall that kids can still face severe health conditions from COVID-19. 3. Preventing mutation. As COVID-19 continues to spread, new strains or variants of the virus form. As a result, dangerous mutations can be passed around. By children getting the vaccine, the risk of receiving and transmitting a new COVID-19 variant to other people is greatly reduced. As of now, the COVID-19 vaccine is accessible to those 6 months and older. Children are encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine in hopes of returning to a normal and safe way of life for everyone across the globe.
2 member news Member survey results are in! The results of our 2022 member survey are here! We are glad to know that you are satisfied with us and our providers! Here are the highlights: Members get care and appointments as soon as needed: ■Medicaid Child 89% ■Medicaid Adult 86% ■CHIP Child 87% Members get information and help from El Paso Health customer service staff: ■Medicaid Child 91% ■Medicaid Adult 93% ■CHIP Child 91% Members receive care and get appointments in a reasonable time: ■Medicaid Child 83% ■Medicaid Adult 84% ■CHIP Child 81% Doctors listen, explain, spend enough time with, and show respect for what members have to say: ■Medicaid Child 96% ■Medicaid Adult 95% ■CHIP Child 95% Rating of personal doctor: ■Medicaid Child 94% ■Medicaid Adult 88% ■CHIP Child 87% Rating of specialist: ■Medicaid Child 88% ■Medicaid Adult 86% ■CHIP Child 88% Update any changes to avoid problems with your coverage Medicaid and CHIP members must report changes to HHSC. If changes are not reported, it could affect or delay your renewal or coverage and benefits. What do I need to report? Any information that changed from your last application or renewal. This includes changes to your phone number, address, job or income, and people in your household. How long do I have to report changes? You are required to report a change within 10 days of knowing about the change. How do I report changes? Go to YourTexasBenefits.com, log in to your account, and find the case you want to make changes to. Select “Details,” then “Open Change Report.” Or use the Your Texas Benefits app to log in to your account and select the case you want to make changes to. Select “Open Change Report.” El Paso Health (EPH) members should also let EPH know about changes to phone numbers and addresses so that you get messages from the plan. EPH sends out texts to our members. If you do not get text messages from us, we may not have your correct phone number or you did not sign up for texts when you joined the plan. If you would like to get text messages from us, please call our Member Services Department to be added to the list at 915-532-3778 or toll-free at 1-877-532-3778.
3 member news El Paso Health (EPH) has a team of Community Health Workers (CHWs) that are vital in the promotion and education of the EPH plan. The team can be seen out in the community providing education to our members on the benefits provided by EPH. They are also instrumental in providing health education to our members on a range of topics, such as prenatal care, nutrition, and creating a medical home. The CHWs partner with many school districts to organize health fairs and presentations in an effort to promote wellness and provide access to community resources. The team has developed partnerships with various agencies and programs in El Paso County over the years and often collaborates with them to provide their services to our members. The CHWs also assist our members in renewing their Medicaid/CHIP benefits and remind them not to forget to renew, so they don’t have an interruption in their services. If you need any assistance from the EPH CHWs, please call Member Services at 915532-3778 to get in touch with them. Our new Associate Medical Director, Dr. Jorge Guzman! Dr. Guzman is board-cer tified in family medicine and has 22 years of clinical experience. He has a bachelor’s degree from Har vard University and received his medical degree from UT Health–San Antonio. Prior to his role as Associate Medical Director at El Paso Health, Dr. Guzman ser ved as Informatics Director at the University Medical Center Neighborhood Health Clinics. He brings broad experience in health informatics, valuebased care, and telehealth. Born and raised in El Paso, Dr. Guzman returned in 1997 to his hometown, which he loves due to its mountains, abundant sunshine, and special bilingual nature. Dr. Guzman thrives from being fluent in Spanish and recently also became conversational in Italian. Special services for children of traveling farmworkers El Paso Health has special Medicaid ser vices for the children of traveling farmworkers. The ser vices include assistance with scheduling upcoming Texas Health Steps exams as well as vision, mental health, and transpor tation benefits for them. If you have any questions or need assistance with any of the ser vices mentioned above, please call 915-532-3778, Ext. 1075, for assistance. Introducing the CARE Solutions Community Health Workers
ABOUT YOUR HEALTH is published as a community service for the friends and patrons of EL PASO HEALTH, 1145 Westmoreland Drive, El Paso, TX 79925, telephone 1-877-532-3778, website elpasohealth.com. Information in ABOUT YOUR HEALTH comes from a wide range of medical experts. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health-care provider. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. 2022 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. EPHM5762209-EPH-MBR-Winter 2023 Member Newsletter Member Services Department 1-877-532-3778 When someone does something wrong and knows it, it is fraud. When someone doesn’t follow the rules by mistake, it is abuse. When someone spends money or uses things without care, that can be waste. All three things are bad and can get people in a lot of trouble What’s new at El Paso Health? CASE MANAGEMENT FOR CHILDREN AND PREGNANT WOMEN (CPW) El Paso Health has a new program for Medicaid members of any age who have a high-risk pregnancy and for members with a health condition up to the age of 20. Ser vices include helping you with doctor visits or school issues. For more information, call 915-532-3778. If you see something, say something! WE NEED YOUR HELP TO STOP FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE if caught. This is why it is so important to say something as soon as you see something suspicious. Here are some examples of fraud, waste, and abuse in health care. By members ■Someone lying in an application about where they live or how much money they have or make. ■Someone giving their Medicaid card to a friend or family member so they can pretend to be that person to go see the doctor. ■Someone using the emergency room for services that are not emergencies. If it is not an emergency, they should see their regular doctor in the doctor’s office. By doctors or medical companies ■A doctor ordering many tests or exams you don’t need. If you feel like you don’t need it, say something. ■A company billing for a fancy wheelchair, but giving a member a basic wheelchair. If you feel you should have gotten something better, say something! ■A doctor billing us for a visit that never happened or billing us for services that happened on a different day. If you see something, say something! Fraud, waste, and abuse should be reported: ■You may contact El Paso Health’s anonymous hotline for waste, abuse, and fraud: 1-866-356-8395. ■You may contact the Texas Office of Inspector General: https://oig.hhs.texas.gov/ report-fraud-waste-or-abuse. member news
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