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Buckeye Health Plan Celebrates 20 Years of Improving the Health of Members in Ohio

Date: 05/09/24

Buckeye Health Plan (“Buckeye”), a leading managed care organization in Ohio and wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), celebrates 20 years of providing managed care and specialized services to improve the health of Ohioans. In 2004, Buckeye started with 42 employees and 24,000 members in Lucas County and has since grown to become Ohio’s second largest managed care plan with over 900 employees serving 500,000 members across the state.

Buckeye provides coordinated healthcare and other essential services to individuals and families through Medicaid, Medicare, integrated Medicaid-Medicare (called MyCare Ohio) and the Health Insurance Exchange.

“We are extremely honored to have earned the trust and confidence of our members, providers, state leaders and communities for 20 years, and we look forward to many more years of service to Ohio,” said Buckeye President and CEO Steve Province. “Our focus is on providing whole-person care that encompasses our members’ physical, social, behavioral, and environmental needs. By transforming each member’s health and well-being, Buckeye empowers individuals, families and communities to thrive.”

Over the years, Buckeye’s innovative programs and initiatives have improved access to quality healthcare, health literacy and whole-person health. These efforts have helped close care gaps and educate Ohioans on important health topics. In 2023, Buckeye became Ohio’s first managed care plan to receive Health Equity Accreditation by The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in 2023.

Buckeye’s care coordination and health equity teams offer services and resources to help members manage their health conditions, close care gaps and access social services, including:

  • Launching Buckeye Community Connect, a free searchable database of 40,000+ community partners statewide that can address social needs, including access to food, affordable housing, job training, transportation, legal assistance and more. Healthcare providers, social workers and care managers also use the tool to quickly and easily find local resources available to help their patients.
  • Offering care coordination programs to support members’ unique social and health needs. In its first year, Buckeye’s Health Equity Coordinators completed more than 150,000 screenings that identified members’ social services needs and connected them with resources.
  • Helping thousands of members in Buckeye’s care management program manage their chronic conditions each year.
  • Connecting members with primary care providers, transportation and resources through Buckeye Care Guides.

To improve local access to quality healthcare and services close to home, Buckeye has partnered with hundreds of local and national organizations in its 20-year history that share its purpose. These partnerships include:

  • Bringing needed healthcare screenings, immunizations and resources to vulnerable neighborhoods through Buckeye Days in partnership with local Federally Qualified Health Centers and Buckeye’s HealthConnect Mobile Unit. During COVID, Buckeye’s efforts helped nearly 300,000 adult members receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Partnering with the nation’s second-largest pharmacy retailer to launch five Walgreens Health Corners™ — helping 2,000 members complete 2,800 health services in the first 90 days.
  • Expanding telehealth programs to encourage members to get medical checkups and preventative health screenings from the convenience of their own home.
  • Establishing a maternal and family-focused health partnership with Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine to bring needed care and services to rural communities. Since 2021, there has been a 40% increase in the number of women served by OU’s Family Navigator program, which employs full-time nurse navigators and a manager to help pregnant and postpartum women access medical and social services. With Buckeye’s support, the program has expanded to five counties.

In addition to Buckeye’s unique programs and initiatives, the health plan has served as a longstanding partner and resource for the Ohio Department of Medicaid. Buckeye was honored to be among the top scoring managed care plans competing during Ohio Medicaid’s reprocurement process for its Next Generation Managed Care contract.

“At Buckeye we pour compassion, connection, authenticity and accountability into everything we do,” Province said. “We call it ‘Leading with Heart’ and it’s much more than just a business philosophy. It’s part of our DNA. It binds us and completes us as a company and as individuals. Team Buckeye is deeply committed to serving our neighbors in need yesterday, today and well into the future.”