Health plans have spent years building stronger chronic disease management programs in hopes of helping members better manage their conditions before costly complications arise. They've invested in diabetes management platforms, hypertension monitoring, medication adherence programs, specialized care management, and more to help rein in costs and improve outcomes.
Yet, chronic disease continues to account for the overwhelming majority of healthcare spending, and engagement in these programs remains difficult to sustain. Plans are yet to see their chronic disease investments translate into measurable, meaningful outcomes and consistent member participation.
The reality is, the everyday challenges of living with one or more chronic illnesses are not surmountable without in-person help.
The gap between investment and outcomes
Managing diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, COPD, or multiple chronic conditions means keeping track of appointments, medications, screenings, nutrition, transportation, physical activity, and follow-up care. When people are isolated at home, lack reliable transportation, struggle with food insecurity, or simply don’t have a trusted family member or friend checking in regularly, those responsibilities become even harder.
Even when family and friends are present and willing, they can't always be the whole solution. The responsibilities of caregiving pile up quickly, and unpaid caregivers need their own support to sustain it. It takes a village to help someone manage a chronic condition well, and Papa Pals often become a critical part of that village, giving caregivers respite and members a more independent path forward.
Without this consistent support, small breakdowns add up over time: Lifestyle changes like diet and exercise get overlooked, missed appointments and delayed screenings lead to unmanaged conditions, and disrupted medication regimens evolve into serious health risks. Over time, seemingly small barriers at home can compound into preventable health events that otherwise could have been prevented with human connection.
Our near-decade of experience at Papa has shown us that remote care coordination, navigation, monitoring cannot close this gap alone. Members managing complex conditions need someone who can help them navigate the practical realities of staying healthy in person.
A Papa Pal enters the home as a companion and can provide transportation to appointments, help organize medications, pick up groceries, encourage healthy routines, assist with technology, and simply spend time with someone whose social isolation can make disease management even harder. That consistent presence helps members stay connected to the care and services their health plan has already invested in, while combatting feelings of loneliness or isolation that can progress disease.
Turning trust into a pathway for greater engagement
Helping members follow through on care objectives is exactly the challenge we built Papa Plus to solve. For chronic disease management, that means shaping companion care visits around specific engagement priorities: Papa Pals can reinforce why an appointment matters, help identify providers and coordinate appointments, pick up and drop off open medications, assist with technology for virtual visits, and document completion along the way. The result is members who stay engaged with the programs their plan has already built, and a clearer path to improving outcomes and quality performance.
We've seen real improvements among members with chronic conditions who receive ongoing support from Papa:
- A 6% increase in composite care gap closure rate among members with diabetes or hypertension and an open Stars-related care gap
- 4 fewer mentally unhealthy days reported by members living with chronic illness
- 4.5 fewer physically unhealthy days reported by members living with chronic illness
Those numbers represent people who are able to stay engaged with their health. One of those people is Anisa.
Anisa lives with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS) and depends on monthly infusions to manage her condition. Getting there used to be the hardest part; unreliable rides and well-meaning but untrained help from friends had, more than once, put her at risk. Through Papa, she connected with a Papa Pal who knows her routine, her needs, and how to get her safely to every appointment. That consistency has meant fewer missed infusions and more confidence that her care will stay on track.
Imagine the Papabilities with us
Stories like Anisa's reinforce something we've learned over and over: Chronic disease management is built one decision at a time. Every appointment kept, prescription picked up, healthy meal prepared, and positive connection creates another opportunity to stay on track.
Chronic disease management is one of the many ways health plans are expanding what's possible with Papa Plus. Companion care creates the trusted relationship. From there, health plans can build more intentional pathways to further support their quality goals, member engagement, and healthier outcomes over time.
It’s just one example of what's possible when trusted, in-home support becomes part of a health plan's engagement strategy. Explore the full range of Papa Plus pathways and see how companion care can support the outcomes that matter most to your members and your organization.
