When true devastation struck the small U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, InnovaCare was there. Hurricane Maria impacted more than 450,000 of its plan members and 2,000 of its employees. MMM, a subsidiary of InnovaCare, didn’t stand back and watch; the company threw itself into the midst of the chaos to provide medical aid and help rebuild communities.
InnovaCare first entered Puerto Rico when it acquired MMM healthcare. MMM stands for Medicare and Much More. At that time, MMM was lagging in terms of technology, efficiency, and financial solvency. Today, MMM has grown substantially and maintains a member satisfaction rate of over 90 percent.
Hurricane Maria swept right over Puerto Rico with sustained winds of 150 mph. The island hadn’t seen anything close to that level of devastation since 1928. Before Hurricane Maria hit, most of Puerto Rico’s residents had electricity, water, and a telephone. However, the storm took those things away and replaced them with destruction. There was hardly any communication or power, and roads were left impossible to travel.
Natural disasters bring lasting challenges, but the InnovaCare Health family brought hope. As the storm relentlessly weighed down on the small island, first responders, police officers, firefighters, and healthcare providers remained ready and strong. Afterward, new challenges were left for the community to overcome. MMM was prepared to help and has continued helping ever since.
InnovaCare/MMM has been there for thousands of people, regardless of their insurance status. The company successfully reached over 30 towns across Puerto Rico and brought food, water, medical services, and emergency evacuation transport. Caminamos Juntos – “We Walk Together” – is the beautiful name of this campaign to let people know that they are not alone.
“If you don’t have your employees, you can’t get your company up on its feet,” said Richard Shinto, MD, MBA, president, and CEO of InnovaCare Health and MMM Holding.
InnovaCare showed that the company values its employees by providing assistance to staff members who lost their homes to the hurricane.
The healthcare company also set up a makeshift grocery store with free food, gave out generators, and set up a laundromat. It even set up a barbershop to help sustain a sense of normalcy in the midst of chaos. The banking systems were also down in the area, making it impossible to use debit cards, so InnovaCare gave out cash to its employees.
In return, the employees of InnovaCare rose to the occasion. Even in the darkest hours, the Puerto Rican InnovaCare staff was there for their communities. The InnovaCare/MMM team contributed more than 8,000 hours of volunteer time to help those in need
Within a month of the crisis, InnovaCare raised over $4 million for Puerto Rico. This was possible because of the vast number of stakeholders, including physicians, within the network. These stakeholders donated financially to helping their communities thrive once again.
Through its chronic care clinic, Vita Care, MMM set up free clinical tents to provide immediate medical attention and follow-up support. InnovaCare also began running mobile clinics just two weeks after the storm. While the clinics addressed immediate concerns at first, the services changed over time to provide longer-term necessities. More than 25,000 residents received care at these clinics.
“If they go home, and they can’t get that diet or have no place to stay or have no way to get the medication they were prescribed, everything you’ve done in the clinic has been lost,” Shinto said. The company’s mobile outreach efforts aimed to keep situations like this from happening.
InnovaCare made another significant impact on the communities of Puerto Rico through its Recharge (“Recargate”) initiative. Recharge was put into motion as a storefront inside of San Juan’s largest shopping center. Even months after the crisis, when many doctors’ offices regained power, they remained closed. Hospitals were still damaged, and healthcare professionals throughout the island were leaving for the mainland.
Recharge has provided a place for more than 20,000 residents to seek medical care and also acts as a safe place for emotional care and recreation. Employees at the center provide multiple services, from exercise classes to mental health screenings and counseling for those struggling with anxiety, grief, and depression. Recharge also distributed food and even helped visitors apply for social services.
Having simple pleasures like entertainment and the opportunity to gather for fun and fellowship is also important for rebuilding a community. Recharge knew this and laid the groundwork for the emotional rebuild of the community in San Juan.
Looking at the aftermath of the hurricane, the healthcare company’s leaders believe that preparation is key when dealing with crisis. “Hope for the best, but plan for the worst” is one of the key takeaways that Shinto gained from Hurricane Maria. He and his team spent ample time planning, with a focus on technology, capital, and culture to weather the storm. However, MMM must still remain strong in the everyday challenges that arise to this day.
MMM is now the only health care plan in Puerto Rico to receive a 4.5-star-quality rating from CMS. It has overcome challenges and represents a trusted healthcare company throughout the island. The unique experiences that InnovaCare has faced in Puerto Rico have demanded creativity and innovation from employees.
Puerto Rico has the highest number of people covered by Medicare or Medicaid in the nation. However, health insurers in Puerto Rico – including MMM – are reimbursed at 40 percent less than those in official U.S. states. Also, despite the high rating of quality that MMM has, its doctors are paid about one-fifth the salary of those in the rest of the United States. “We have to constantly innovate,” says Orlando Gonzalez, president of MMM. “We have problems not typical of a health insurer.”
