Personalized, connected, and proactive care that starts with the very first visit
With Carelon Health, our patients see a dedicated care team and get a personalized care plan. And it all begins with a Healthy Start™ appointment.
What if your first visit with a new doctor included all the usual things: blood pressure, weight, symptoms, medical history. But then they talked longer with you, asking questions like: Do you have access to healthy food? Do you have rides to the clinic? Are you feeling safe and happy?
That’s what it’s like at a Healthy Start appointment.
Healthy Start, and its annual counterpart Healthy Journey, are unique, no-cost benefits from Carelon Health. Healthy Start is the first step in Carelon Health’s Primary Care, where patients see a team of care providers dedicated to all aspects of their health.
Your care team includes a primary care doctor, and additional care team members as needed, such as a specialist, nutritionist, social worker, pharmacist, podiatrist, or behavioral health therapist — often at the same care center.
Carelon Health’s Primary Care is available through select original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and group or private insurance plans.
An ounce of prevention
“The strength of medical care is in prevention. You have to start early,” said Khyati Gupta, DO, a Carelon Health doctor in Las Vegas. “We want to take ownership of our patients’ health. We want to keep them healthy and prevent their health from declining to a point where it’s almost too late.”
Research shows that a holistic approach to preventive care can keep people healthier and help avoid disease complications that could land them in the hospital.1
Why is Healthy Start unique?
Most Healthy Start and Healthy Journey appointments last about 40 to 60 minutes. Dr. Gupta explained, “During a Healthy Start appointment, patients often are surprised by how thorough and unhurried it is. Most doctor’s appointments last about 15 minutes, with Healthy Start, we want to make sure that you have a thorough checkup as well as time to ask questions and get thoughtful answers. We won’t rush you.”
She added, “Check-ups between those appointments often are more relaxed, too. Your doctor already knows you and your health concerns, so you can spend more time catching up on your health and discussing lifestyle changes.”
Dr. Gupta also said, “We’re able to sit down with our patients and address their concerns and their chronic diseases. We even have a mobile team, so if I have a patient who's sick and I need them to be checked on at home, I can send that team to go see the patient there. It’s an all-encompassing care that we can wrap around our patients from all angles.”
How does Healthy Start work?
Healthy Start and Healthy Journey evaluations are designed to cover everything your Carelon Health team needs to know to keep you as healthy and active as possible.
As part of your Healthy Start assessment, you receive:
- Full physical exam.
- On-site lab testing.
- Behavioral health review.
- Preventive care screenings.
- Balance assessment.
- Physical mobility evaluation.
- Medication review and consultation.
“The idea behind these appointments is that your health is a journey — it evolves and changes. We are on the journey together and we’ll navigate it together,” Dr. Gupta said. “It’s not just a single patient–physician encounter.” After your Healthy Start appointment, you’ll have regular checkups with your Carelon Health care providers. These might happen in person, through virtual care, or at home. You even have access to Carelon Health’s 24-hour Care Line, where you can ask about your symptoms and get helpful advice, including whether to see a care provider or go to a Carelon Health Care Center. Every year you’ll also be encouraged to schedule a Healthy Journey visit to track your health and make any necessary adjustments to your care plan.
Forging strong relationships
In surveys, 94% of patients said Healthy Start was a good experience.2 Dr. Gupta said her patients have reported that they appreciate the convenience of Carelon Health’s Primary Care and the relationship they develop with their care providers.
“It just makes sense for patients to have everything under one roof as much as possible,” Dr. Gupta said. “It’s sad to hear, but a lot of my patients say, ‘This is the first time a doctor has listened to me.’ or ‘This is the first time I've really been able to talk to my doctor.’ Patients are very thankful.”
Dr. Gupta said having the time to get to know her patients makes her more effective and her job more rewarding — and it begins with Healthy Start. “I personally feel like the energy and the time I devote to my patient the first time around carries me through every follow-up."
Carelon Health’s Primary Care is available through Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and group or private health plans in nine states. Experience personalized, connected, and proactive care by choosing a plan that includes Carelon Health.
1 Musich S, Wang S, Hawkins K, Klemes A: The Impact of Personalized Preventive Care on Health Care Quality, Utilization, and Expenditures, Popular Health Management (December 2016): ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5296930.
2 CareMore Patient Experience Outreach Study 2022.
