HCN News & Notes

Fallon Health Launches Brand-Awareness Campaign 

WORCESTER — Fallon Health announced the launch of a brand-awareness campaign that advances and reflects its commitment to individuals served through Medicare and Medicaid health-insurance programs. The campaign supports Fallon’s goal of delivering superlative care to its members while lifting the communities it serves by eliminating barriers to care and addressing the underlying social determinants of health. 

“Focusing on the well-being of our members and our community has always been a priority at Fallon. It’s central to our work and our culture,” said Richard Burke, President and CEO of Fallon Health. “It’s what makes Fallon unique in a market that can be challenging but is absolutely essential to who we are as a Commonwealth.”  

The brand awareness campaign is part of Fallon’s strategic focus, announced in March 2021, on providing care and coverage to individuals enrolled in government-sponsored health insurance. Today, members in those programs make up 68% of Fallon’s membership, the highest level in the organization’s 45-year history. 

Fallon Health was the first health plan in the country, in 1980, to offer a Medicare Advantage plan. Since then, the organization has been a pioneer and leader in developing innovative programs, such as a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), known locally as Summit ElderCare, and a senior care options (SCO) plan, known locally as NaviCare. Both provide integrated, coordinated, and patient-centered care allowing participants and members to age in place. 

The value and importance of these programs were highlighted by a study conducted for the Commonwealth by JEN Associates, a nationally recognized healthcare data-analytics firm. The study’s findings show that PACE and SCO are succeeding in both improving health outcomes and holding down costs, even with high-needs populations. Specifically, nursing-facility residency months declined by 14%, and the mortality rate dropped by 18% under PACE. The findings for SCO are similar, showing a 12% drop in nursing-facility residency months and a 17% decline in mortality. 

Fallon Health has also been a partner with the state in its reform of MassHealth through the introduction of accountable care organizations, which similarly employ the principles of care integration and coordination in serving MassHealth members. 

“Fallon Health has always been more than a health plan, and this campaign illuminates and supports our unique role in healthcare,” said Christine Cassidy, senior vice president and chief communications officer for Fallon Health. “For us, access and equity are not buzzwords; they are the core of what we do and why.”  

Fallon’s brand campaign is launching this summer and will continue throughout the calendar year. It will be visible throughout its Massachusetts service area in multiple marketing platforms, including out-of-home advertising, broadcast and cable TV, and digital.