AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana and Nest Health Value-Based Program Reduces Emergency Room Visits and Improves Outcomes for Families

Thousands of New Orleans-area families experienced significantly fewer emergency room visits and have more access to care, thanks to the work of Nest Health and Healthy Louisiana health plan AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana.

Nest Health and AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana teamed up in December 2023 to offer in-home primary care services to 7,500 of the health plan’s members in the greater New Orleans area who face the greatest barriers to care. An analysis of a statistically representative subset of these members found that this collaboration produced the following results in the first year:

• A large reduction in Emergency Room visits pre-and-post Nest engagement
• A vaccination rate double the Louisiana Department of Health’s (LDH) target rate
• 91% of postpartum visits completed within 30 days of delivery
• A 2:1 Return on Investment to AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana over a 12-month period, based on its health care spending on participating members compared to what it paid Nest.

The Nest Health team of local doctors, nurse practitioners, therapists, and medical assistants provides check-ups, sick visits, vaccinations, labs, school and work exams, 24/7 clinical care and support, and more. The team is also available for online therapy, behavioral and mental health support, coordination with OBs or other specialists, and additional services.

Unlike traditional in-office primary care providers, Nest is the family’s supercharged care offering medical, social, and behavioral healthcare. Nest also works to connect families to resources to help with food, housing, water and electric bills, and other important supports that contribute to often life-changing health outcomes.

“We’re seeing significant numbers of parents and children who miss lifesaving and preventive health care visits. The current system makes it very challenging for parents to juggle transportation, childcare, and missed work — Nest eliminates as many barriers to getting children and parents to their well visits as we can,” said Dr. Rebekah Gee, Founder and CEO of Nest Health. “We’re so grateful to work with the AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana team to bring this life-changing care to their members and to show that we can get families healthy in a cost-effective way. We look forward to bringing this successful model to more AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana members in the months and years ahead.”

Nest’s and AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana’s results come as the state continues to rank 48th in the nation in child well-being and near the bottom on maternal health and mortality and infant mortality, and as Louisiana’s Medicaid program faces increasing financial pressures.

“AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana is committed to providing our members with access to the best possible care,” said Kyle Viator, market president, AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana. “Our value-based program with Nest Health has helped us expand access to high-quality care for the Medicaid population in New Orleans by bringing it to their homes, where our member families need it most. We’re excited to continue our work and impact together with Nest Health throughout the state of Louisiana.”

To learn more about the Nest care model, watch this video by Katrina Babies filmmaker Edward Buckles, Jr.

About Nest Health

Nest Health is the first value-based healthcare provider built for families. Nest is making comprehensive medical, social, and behavioral care radically accessible to America’s highest-risk families through in-home visits and wraparound virtual care. Starting in Louisiana, we address the medical, behavioral, and social care needs of families, as a unit.

Nest's multidisciplinary and diverse care team delivers longitudinal care at the right time and place to the entire family, from birth to post-partum women, addressing the root cause of unnecessarily high hospital utilization and poor-quality outcomes. Increasing member satisfaction and appropriate engagement, Nest's comprehensive care model ultimately reduces the cost of care and improves quality measures.
Learn more at www.nesthealth.com.

About AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana

AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana is one of six Medicaid managed care plans that participate in the Healthy Louisiana program. AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana helps Louisiana families get proper care and stay well. AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana works with communities in need to achieve positive health outcomes throughout the state. For more information, go to www.amerihealthcaritasla.com.