Healthy Blue Louisiana Expands Access to In-Home Care Through Partnership with Upward Health
Expanded partnership enhances access to care across Louisiana, strengthens rural health, and supports Medicaid cost management
Healthy Blue Louisiana, a health plan serving Medicaid, Medicaid Expansion and LaCHIP members, has expanded its partnership with Upward Health, a provider of in-home medical and behavioral healthcare. The strengthened collaboration enhances access to coordinated, whole-person care for members with complex health needs in Baton Rouge, Monroe, New Orleans, and Shreveport, with plans to extend services statewide later this year.
“As part of our ongoing work to improve access and coordination of care, Healthy Blue is focused on bringing important care services closer to where our members live,” said Dr. Christy Valentine Theard, President of Healthy Blue Louisiana. “By expanding partnerships that deliver integrated physical and behavioral healthcare in the home, and across underserved areas, we are helping Louisiana strengthen preventive care, reduce avoidable hospital use, and better manage the rising cost of care within the Medicaid program.”
Dr. Christy Valentine Theard – President of Healthy Blue Louisiana
Upward Health provides in-home medical and behavioral health services, conducts health assessments, and coordinates follow-up care for members managing multiple or chronic conditions. Through this expanded collaboration, Healthy Blue and Upward Health will continue to build on these services by identifying and addressing health needs earlier, preventing complications, reducing unnecessary emergency visits, and supporting better long-term health outcomes for members across Louisiana.
Louisiana’s rural and underserved communities stand to benefit most from the expansion. Sixty of the state’s 64 parishes are designated primary-care shortage areas, leaving many residents with limited access to providers and long travel distances for basic care. By bringing care directly into the home, Healthy Blue and its provider partners are helping overcome barriers such as transportation and provider shortages, which often lead to delayed care and higher emergency-room use. National studies have shown that home-based care can reduce hospitalizations and ER visits by more than 30 percent for high-risk populations, supporting better outcomes and more effective use of Medicaid resources.
Glen Moller
CEO, Upward Health
“Upward Health is proud to continue supporting Healthy Blue’s mission to improve access to care for Louisiana residents,” said Glen Moller, CEO of Upward Health. “Together, we’re helping make high-quality medical and behavioral healthcare available in the home, particularly for those living in rural or hard-to-reach areas.”
This expansion is part of Healthy Blue’s broader statewide effort to increase access, improve health outcomes, and deliver greater value for Louisiana’s Medicaid program through partnerships that meet members where they are and address their physical, behavioral, and social health needs.
About Healthy Blue Louisiana
Healthy Blue Louisiana is a managed healthcare provider that has been serving the state since 2012, and currently serves the state’s Medicaid, Medicaid Expansion and LaCHIP programs. Healthy Blue, a joint venture between Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and Anthem Partnership Holding Company, LLC (parent company, Anthem, Inc.), recognizes the challenges low-income and underserved individuals face, and tailors its programs such that health plan members are assured care that is not only accessible, but also accountable, comprehensive, integrated and patient-centered. Healthy Blue provides ongoing community relations and outreach to encourage members to become active participants in their healthcare. Also, through health education programs, members are empowered to choose and sustain healthy lifestyles. To learn more about Healthy Blue, visit www.myhealthybluela.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter@HealthyBlueLA, and on LinkedIn @healthy-blue-louisiana.
Media Contact: Dionisia Malecki, dionisia.malecki@elevancehealth.com
About Upward Health
Upward Health is an in-home multidisciplinary medical group that partners with health plans and other risk-bearing entities to address the needs of high- and emerging-risk patients. Using a unique, in-home, whole-person care approach to meeting a patient’s needs, Upward Health delivers and coordinates care that improves outcomes and the quality of life for every patient it serves. It has a Net Promoter Score of 91, among the highest in the healthcare industry, and ranks No. 4 on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. To learn more, visit www.upwardhealth.com.
Media Contact: Ashley Kurpiewski, akurpiewski@upwardhealth.com