Now in partnership with health plans in Rhode Island, a company called Papa Inc. is providing a service that’s been marketed as “grandkids on-demand,” using a mobile app to enlist gig workers in a style similar to how drivers are hailed for Uber or DoorDash.
And Papa’s workers – dubbed “pals” – sent to local homes are not just a benefit for the seniors who can now request visits for companionship, transportation and help with light housework.
The health care companies partnering with Papa are able to capitalize by collecting bigger federal reimbursements from Medicare in connection to their Medicare Advantage offerings, the company says. That’s because the workers are sometimes tasked with delivering reminders for policyholders to get recommended tests, such as diabetes and blood pressure screenings, which is taken into account as part of the performance measures used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to assign star ratings for these policies. With higher star ratings come bonus payments from the federal agency.
Efforts by pals, who are independent contractors, to remind policyholders to get checked by the doctor can also lead to the discovery of health conditions that provide higher reimbursements from Medicare.
This year, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island became two of the latest health insurance companies to partner with Papa, as part of Blue Cross’ Medicare Advantage and Neighborhood Health’s INTEGRITY Medicare-Medicaid plans.
Papa, founded in Florida in 2017, now is partnered with 65 Medicare Advantage plans nationwide. The for-profit, Miami-based company’s stated goal is to address loneliness among seniors, a problem that’s been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with other issues that impact health outcomes, including access to transportation and food insecurity.
Pals undergo background checks, and only about 15% of those who apply to be a pal are approved, according to Papa Inc.
At least 70,000 seniors in Rhode Island have access to Papa as part of their insurance policies. Of those, 351 Blue Cross members have taken advantage of Papa and about 850 Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island members have done so.
“We’re proud to serve members in Rhode Island to address barriers to health and combat loneliness,” Papa said in an emailed statement. “Pals act as eyes and ears on the ground – they have access to homes and hearts, and can spot issues, triage and escalate them as needed.”
Dr. Christopher Ottiano, medical director for Neighborhood Health, said participating INTEGRITY Medicare-Medicaid plan holders book an average 2.78 visits from Pals per month, for a total of 2,600 visits so far. That utilization rate is higher than Papa’s national average of two visits per month, “demonstrating a strong desire to enroll in this new benefit,” he said.
The partnership provides INTEGRITY members with access to up to 120 hours of visits from pals per year, Ottiano said.
“We added the Papa benefit after working closely with our applied data science partner and identifying that our INTEGRITY members are more than twice as likely to be at high risk for social isolation than other adult members in the organization’s Medicaid and commercial plans,” Ottiano said. “In this case, we knew a group of our members had a high incidence of social isolation and that studies show social isolation is associated with about a 50% increased risk of dementia and other serious medical conditions.”
For members such as Paula Fleck, 58, of East Providence, Papa’s services are invaluable.
“I live alone on a second floor and the stairs are getting really hard for me. I’m pretty much homebound,” Fleck said. “They’ve been very helpful.”
Patricia Capuano, an elderly woman from Providence, said pals help her out with her dog and do chores she would be unable to do, such as cleaning the top of her refrigerator.
“I don’t know what I would do without this program,” said Capuano, calling her pals hard workers who also watch TV with her.
Ottiano said other health insurance companies get help from Papa with gaining higher reimbursement rates from Medicare by increasing star ratings, but that’s not the case for the Medicare-Medicaid plan offered by Neighborhood Health.
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, which already has a 5-star rating for its Medicare Advantage plans this year and is the only insurer in the state with that distinction, said it’s not offering the benefit for financial gain.
“We encourage our members to see their doctors for well visits and preventive screenings and pals are available to assist with achieving those goals should the member want that type of assistance,” Blue Cross said in an emailed statement.
Annagrette Oberholtzer, 32, a pal who was made available by Papa for an interview, said on average each visit lasts about 2½ hours, and she does about 10 or 12 visits per week. The app provides a filtered list of recommended clients and a map view that allows her to pick a visit that’s right for her. When she arrives, Oberholtzer said, the app provides a list of tasks to accomplish. Afterward, she completes a survey through the app about what happened and the mood of the client.
Sometimes, visits mean taking a senior to the grocery store or doctor appointments. “I do basically anything grandkids would do for their grandparents,” Oberholtzer said.
Marc Larocque is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Larocque@PBN.com.
