Unite Us, the nation’s trusted technology partner for social care transformation, has officially confirmed the news of Missouri HealthNet Division’s Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH) program adopting its innovative social care revenue cycle management solution.
According to certain reports, the organization will leverage this Payments functionality to streamline its reimbursement processes for community organizations, something which will enable reinvestment of resources directly into program enhancement, This, in turn, should tread up a long distance to increase service capacity, expand service offerings, and scale up community health outcomes for rural populations.
More on that would reveal how the payment solution in question will be fully embedded within Unite Us’ closed-loop referral platform. As a result, users can send authorized referrals for reimbursable social care services directly to CBOs, and therefore, track all service delivery, as well as reimbursement activities without ever leaving the Unite Us Platform. Such a setup, from a more practical standpoint, should help in automatically generating invoices, which are submitted to referring hospitals for timely reimbursement, thus increasing sustainability for service providers.
Markedly enough, all six rural hospitals currently within the ToRCH program i.e. Bothwell Regional Health Center, Citizens Memorial Hospital, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Phelps Health, Ray County Hospital and Healthcare, and Salem Memorial Hospital, will bank upon Unite Us’ payment to seamlessly allocate Medicaid funding towards essential services delivered at the disposal of community members.
In essence, by simplifying the reimbursement workflow, CBOs can address unique rural social needs, such as transportation, nutrition, and housing, to drive healthier outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries.
Under the agreed terms, the six-hospital hubs are to manage patient eligibility, authorize services, and track outcomes, whereas on the other hand, Unite Us will facilitate timely compensation for critical social care services.
“The ToRCH program exemplifies the importance of integrating social and clinical care to address the root causes of poor health,” said Kirk Mathews, chief transformation officer at MO HealthNet. “By leveraging Unite Us’ referral and payments solutions, we empower rural providers and CBOs to deliver comprehensive care, secure sustainable funding, and enhance outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries.”
Talk about the benefits of adopting the given model on a slightly deeper level, we begin from the promise of localized resource allocation. Basically, Unite Us’ reimbursement model makes it possible for CBOs to directly address community challenges, such as transportation, nutrition, and housing needs, through reliable payments.
Next up, we have the prospect of improved CBO sustainability. You see, this particular approach provides CBOs the financial support they need, something which should allow them to expand capacity, invest in infrastructure, and overcome staffing challenges in the long run.
Then, there is a facility focused on the closure of referral loop. In essence, the Unite Us platform allows hospitals to seamlessly manage referrals and track outcome. By doing so, the stated facility ensures a seamless connection between healthcare providers and social care partners.
The development in question marks the expansion of an existing partnership between Unite Us and MO HealthNe. Since 2023, the companies have been building up the infrastructure to make ToRCH a success. This involves screening for health-related social needs (HRSNs) and connecting Medicaid recipients to managed care organizations (MCOs) and funded CBOs. The idea behind doing that is rooted in addressing social drivers of health (SDoH), improving population health, and delivering measurable cost savings.
“Unite Us’ Payments solution simplifies and scales the reimbursement process, allowing programs like ToRCH to make a meaningful impact in rural communities,” said Raffale Breaks, chief product and technology officer at Unite Us. “This solution ensures CBOs receive financial support, enabling them to address critical needs while strengthening the infrastructure of social care networks for lasting benefits in underserved communities.”
