Fall/Winter 2017 Healthy Moves A better flu season for you Adults 65 years of age and older are a higher risk for getting and developing serious risks from the flu. Some of the risks are bronchitis, sinus and ear infections. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu shot. Here is what you need to know about the flu shot: It can keep you from getting sick with the flu. It can make the flu less severe, if you do get sick. It can protect the people around you, like babies and young children. It is covered. You do not need to pay for it. Keep the flu from happening to you. Rest. Try to get eight hours of sleep each night. Get your flu shot. It is available each year at no cost to you. Wash your hands. Avoid spreading germs by washing your hands with soap and warm water. Cover. Cough into your elbow instead of your hands and use a mask if you think you are sick. Source: Center for Disease Control (CDC) Fall/Winter News 2017 1 GA_17_4970NEWSLTR_11072017
Managing your blood pressure Warmer You can have high blood pressure and still feel fine. It is important to regularly check your blood pressure to remain healthy. If blood pressure is left uncontrolled, it can lead to stroke, heart disease, eye problems, kidney failure and other health problems. To find out if you have high blood pressure, visit your doctor regularly, even if you feel fine. Your doctor can help you to monitor your blood pressure and determine any potential risks. What if my blood pressure is low? If your blood pressure is lower than 90/60, you have low blood pressure, according to the National Institutes of Health. You can feel weak or dizzy. Low blood pressure can happen for various reasons such as not drinking enough liquids, or dehydration and some medical conditions. How Can I Manage my Blood Pressure? Here are a few ways to lower your risk of high blood pressure. Keep a healthy weight. Being overweight can increase your risk of high blood pressure. Your doctor can help you determine if you need to lose weight. Cut down on salt. As you age, your body becomes more sensitive to the salt that eat in your diet. Processed foods contain high levels of salt. A healthy diet low in salt may help to lower your blood pressure. Do not smoke. Smoking increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. If you smoke, it is never too late to quit. Get enough sleep. Getting enough rest may help to lower your blood pressure. Source: National Institutes of Health We are here to help You have added benefits and services as a Peach State Health Plan Allwell member. We may reach out to you to tell you about these benefits and services. One of these services is called Case Management. This means that we have nurses on our staff to help you. The nurse can help you: Get all of the health care you need. Understand your doctors and prescriptions Get the most out of both Medicare and Medicaid Get the most from your pharmacy Listen to you and others who help you. Case Management is one way we help. If you want to hear more about this kind of help, please call us at (HMO) 1-844-890-2326 or (HMO SNP) 1-877-725-7748 TTY: 711 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Peach State Health Plan is contracted with Medicare for HMO and HMO SNP plans, and with the Georgia Medicaid program. Enrollment in Peach State Health Plan depends on contract renewal. Fall/Winter News 2017 2
Which health screenings do I need? Screenings are tests that look for diseases even if you have no symptoms or feel fine. Your doctor can tell you which screenings you should get based on your age, sex, family history and other potential risk factors. These tests can find diseases early and may make them easier to treat. These are some of the health screenings or tests that you can discuss with your doctor. Breast cancer: Tests that can be used to detect Diabetes: Blood glucose tests and the A1C test breast cancer in men and women are mammograms, help to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes. ultrasound, MRI scans and experimental breast Testing can help your doctor find the diabetes imaging. and get you to get the treatment you need. Prostate cancer: This cancer can be detected before any symptoms through testing the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in a man s blood or a rectal exam. Colorectal cancer: Various tests can detect polyps and cancer. One of the most common is the colonoscopy, which is recommended, for men and women, starting at age 50. High Cholesterol: Your doctor can give you a blood test, called a cholesterol test, to measure the amount of each type of cholesterol and certain fats in your blood. There are two types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol, you could be at risk for heart disease. High Blood Pressure: Checking your blood pressure regularly is important for your health. Your doctor can track your blood pressure over a period of time to determine if you have high blood pressure. Osteoporosis: Your doctor can do a bone mineral density (BMD) test to look at the health of your bones. This test can identify osteoporosis and your risk for broken bones. Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine, American Cancer Society Fall/Winter News 2017 3
How to contact your health plan (HMO and HMO SNP) Peach State Health Plan Medicare Advantage Member Service Hours Website Transportation Vision Dental DME and/or Diabetic supplies Hearing 24-hour nurse advice line Call our Member Services: From October 1 February 14, 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. From February 15 September 30, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Please call Member Services: 1-877-725-7748 HMO Member Services: 1-844-890-2326 TTY: 711 Call 2 days before medical appointment to schedule pick-up TTY: 711, for assistance in locating a participating provider TTY: 711, for assistance in locating a participating provider TTY: 711 for assistance TTY: 711 for assistance Please call 1-866-389-7690, option 7, TTY: 711 Please mail or call any questions or concerns to: Peach State Health Plan Advantage 1100 Circle 75 Parkway Suite 1100 Atlanta, GA 30339 Peach State Health Plan is contracted with Medicare for HMO and HMO SNP plans, and with the Georgia Medicaid program. Enrollment in Peach State Health Plan depends on contract renewal. We Protect Your Private Information We are serious about your privacy. Your personal health details are called protected health information. We have procedures in place to keep them safe. We also follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and practice state privacy laws. 2017 Peach State Health Plan Advantage. All rights reserved. Fall/Winter News 2017 4
Peach State Health Plan complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Peach State Health Plan does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Peach State Health Plan: Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as qualified sign language interpreters and written information in other formats (large print, accessible electronic formats, other formats). Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as qualified interpreters and information written in other languages. If you need these services, contact Peach State Health Plan at 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (TTY: 711). If you believe that Peach State Health Plan has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex, you can file a grievance by calling the number above and telling them you need help filing a grievance; Peach State Health Plan s Member Services is available to help you. You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/ portal/lobby.jsf or by mail or phone at: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW., Room 509F, HHH Building, Washington, DC 20201, 1-800 368 1019, (TDD: 1-800 537 7697). Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html. English: ATTENTION: If you do not speak English, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call Spanish: ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al Vietnamese: CHÚ Ý: Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí dành cho bạn. Gọi số Korean: 주의 : 한국어를사용하시는경우, 언어지원서비스를무료로이용하실수있습니다. 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (TTY: 711). 번으로전화해주십시오. Chinese: 注意 : 如果您使用繁體中文, 您可以免費獲得語言援助服務 請致電 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (TTY: 711). Gujarati: Fall/Winter News 2017 5
French: ATTENTION: Si vous parlez français, des services d aide linguistique vous sont proposés gratuitement. Appelez le Amharic: ማስታወሻ: የሚናገሩት ቋንቋ ኣማርኛ ከሆነ የትርጉም እርዳታ ድርጅቶች በነጻ ሊያግዝዎት ተዘጋጀተዋል ወደ ሚከተለው ቁጥር ይደውሉ 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (መስማት ለተሳናቸው: 711). Hindi: ध य न द : यद आप ब लत ह त आपक ल ए म फ त म भ ष सह यत स व ए उपलब ध ह 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (TTY: 711) पर क ल कर French Creole: ATANSYON: Si w pale Kreyòl Ayisyen, gen sèvis èd pou lang ki disponib gratis pou ou. Rele Russian: ВНИМАНИЕ: Если вы говорите на русском языке, то вам доступны бесплатные услуги перевода. Звоните Arabic: ةمظنم) 1-844-890-2326 مقرب لصتا. اناجم كل ةحاتم ةيوغللا ةدعاسملا تامدخ نإف ةيبرعلا ةغللا ثدحتت تنك اذإ :هيبنت (HMO ةحصلا ىلع ظافحلا ةمظنمل ةعباتلا ةصاخلا تاجايتحالا يوذ ططخ 1-877-725-7748 HMO)) ةحصلا ىلع ظافحلا.(711 :مكبلاو مصلا فتاه مقر) SNP) Portugués: ATENÇÃO: Se fala português, encontram-se disponíveis serviços linguísticos, grátis. Ligue para Farsi: -1-844 اب.دشاب یم مهارف امش یارب ناگیار تروصب ینابز تالیهست دینک یم وگتفگ یسراف نابز هب رگا :هجوت.دیریگب سامت 711) (TTY: (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) 890-2326 German: ACHTUNG: Wenn Sie Deutsch sprechen, stehen Ihnen kostenlos sprachliche Hilfsdienstleistungen zur Verfügung. Rufnummer: Japanese: 注意事項 : 日本語を話される場合 無料の言語支援をご利用いただけます 1-844-890-2326 (HMO), 1-877-725-7748 (HMO SNP) (TTY: 711) まで お電話にてご連絡ください Fall/Winter News 2017 6