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We&rsquo;ve learned a lot by facing the novel coronavirus pandemic.
				Outbreaks of COVID-19 all over the world have highlighted healthcare practices that will likely become important parts of our future and shown what techniques may be past their prime. In many cases, the virus has confirmed the importance of strategies that may have been considered experimental before it arrived.
				Meaningful progress in moving medicine forward depends upon far more than recognizing new, emerging conditions and discovering new ways of treating them. We must continue to develop and offer our patients better ways to access the care they need.
				We have to maintain and grow our efforts to educate our communities about their own wellness and move healthcare further into less-served communities. And because we know this, we&rsquo;ve made it our mission at Geisinger to make health easier for our neighbors.
				But what does that actually look like?
				It could be a primary care office for older adults that not only offers longer appointments with physicians who have fewer patients to care for, but also brings a laboratory, imaging services, a wellness center, periodic specialty care, and social activity under one roof.
				Geisinger 65 Forward Health Centers utilize this model to make health easier for Geisinger Gold (Medicare Advantage) members. Since the program launched a year ago, 65 Forward patients are 2.5 times less likely to require visits to hospital emergency departments than those seen in a traditional primary practice. This also means 65 Forward patients are less likely to be admitted to the hospital.
				To reduce complications for diabetics as they age, it&rsquo;s important to closely monitor their blood sugar. Control over the preceding 3 months bis reflected by a blood test for Hemoglobin A1C levels. The national standard is to keep A1C lower than 9 in 86 percent or more of patients. Among 65 Forward members, 91 percent have A1C levels lower than 9.
				Maintaining blood pressure within a normal range is also key for reducing risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease in older adults. While the national average is 76 percent of patients with blood pressure within the normal range, 80 percent of 65 Forward patients keep their blood pressure in that range.
				A big part of achieving these results is longer appointments. When patients with multiple chronic conditions have longer to talk their doctor, less goes unsaid and treatment can be more appropriate. But the model itself, which consolidates services, makes care more convenient.
				And moving care farther into communities can be done with brick and mortar, by building new physical spaces, but it can also be mobile. Geisinger has deployed a mobile health fleet to close care gaps in the communities it serves.
				Geisinger&rsquo;s mobile health services bus has been on the road since early July, traveling from State College to northeast Pennsylvania, to offer services to diabetes patients who may have put off screenings during COVID-19. Diabetic nephropathy screenings, diabetic retinopathy screenings and A1C monitoring are available.
				The fleet also includes a mobile mammography services bus and a mobile dental services bus, which respectively offer breast-cancer screenings and dental cleanings and preventive services to underserved communities.
				Unfortunately, as COVID-19 continues to affect our communities, some people have been avoiding those regular screenings and routine care that can lead to vital early detection of diseases and maintenance of chronic conditions. While we&rsquo;re very confident, as we&rsquo;ve discussed here several weeks ago, returning to clinics for this care is safe, it may not be convenient for everyone, so the mobile health fleet meets patients closer to home.
				And while the model for 65 Forward Health Centers was designed to make patients healthier, an added benefit during the pandemic is they only have to go one place for the care they need, keeping their exposure to others lower than if they had to visit multiple clinics.
				Making health easier isn&rsquo;t always about cutting-edge science and technology. It&rsquo;s often about cutting-edge access.

Making health easier, for everyone