Community Health Options will soon expand its virtual health services and provide Members access to virtual primary care providers, giving them consistent care when they need it anytime, anywhere. The new service can help make it easier for Members struggling to find a nearby provider accepting new patients, whether they need preventive and routine care or help managing more complex issues.
Firefly Virtual Primary Care, available in January 2024 to Members 18 and older, provides a team comprising of a primary care doctor, nurse practitioner, health guide and behavioral health specialist, who address all aspects of care and can create a personalized plan to tackle specific concerns.
Firefly's primary care is virtual-first. Members can connect with their care team through the Firefly Health app via video appointments or chat, making healthcare swiftly and easily accessible from any location. When Members need a specialist or in-person care, Firefly offers expert support to find local, high-quality in-network specialists and in-person providers, or even providers who come to a Member’s home. Members need reliable cell phone coverage or internet service to use Firefly.
“We’re proud to partner with a robust network of providers in Maine and across New England, yet many of our Members are still challenged to find an available primary care provider,” said Dr. Lori Tishler, chief medical officer of Community Health Options. “We’re delighted to offer this high-quality, convenient option, supporting our Members, as always, with our Maine-based care teams who have on-the-ground knowledge of the local resources so critical to our Members’ overall well-being.”
Learn more here from our news release.
Many of us are waiting weeks or months to book medical appointments. Or taking a long drive to get to the only provider taking new patients—often more than an hour away. And once in the office, chances are we’re spending more time in waiting rooms just for a routine appointment.
The national shortage of healthcare workers has been well-documented, and Maine is feeling it, too, with access to providers emerging as one of the greatest barriers to treatment. By the end of 2022, Maine had just 580 doctors practicing family medicine, an 18% decline from 2019, according to The Portland Press Herald, leaving fewer doctors for a growing population.
During the pandemic, patients discovered the convenience of telehealth and began meeting with their providers through a phone call or video chat from the comfort of their own homes. The concept certainly wasn’t new—Community Health Options Members had access to Amwell® behavioral telehealth well before Covid-19 struck.
That concept has expanded to virtual primary care, giving people the option through an online care team, expanding access to care. Alongside its traditional provider network, Community Health Options now offers Members 18 and older the option to choose a virtual-first primary care team through Firefly Health.
When it comes to health outcomes, many studies have shown patients miss fewer virtual appointments, helping them to stay on track with their health needs. And in a recent pilot program, Walmart employees with diabetes who used virtual care saw a 24% average reduction in glucose levels and patients with hypertension had a 14% reduction in blood pressure, the company said in 2023 when it expanded its program to Maine, among other states.
