News Releases
Don’t Miss a Dose: Take Your Meds as Directed
By Mona Chitre, Pharm.D.
March 19, 2024 | Buffalo, NY
Medication adherence is the fancy term for taking medications as directed. You might assume that patients always adhere to the instructions they’re given when it comes to their meds, but that’s not the case. According to the CDC, 20% to 30% of...
Super healthy snacking tips for Sunday’s big game
February 6, 2024 | Buffalo, NY
Four quarters of big-game football can be grueling, especially for those watching at a house party with a big-time buffet just an arm’s length away. It’s important to approach kickoff with a solid game plan to assure that you make it to the post-game...
Avoid the Silent Killer
February 1, 2024 | Buffalo, NY
More than 120 million Americans have high blood pressure according to the CDC and 11 million of them don’t know it. If left untreated, high blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. February is...
A dangerous trend: Skipping cervical cancer screening
January 19, 2024 | Buffalo, NY
A growing number of individuals who are eligible to be screened for cervical cancer are skipping this important test, and that decision could cost them their lives. Each year in the U.S., 11,500 individuals are diagnosed with cervical cancer, according...
Overuse of antibiotics has deadly results
January 7, 2024 | Buffalo, NY
Antibiotics are powerful tools used to treat patients with life-threatening infections, cancer, organ transplants, severe burns, and trauma, but they are being overprescribed and not being taken as directed, which is causing them to be less...
Don’t accept falling as part of aging
January 4, 2024 | Buffalo, NY
More than 1 in 4 older adults (28%) in the U.S. report falling each year, according to an Univera Healthcare’s review of the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That translates to about 36 million falls...
Mental Health is top of mind at Houghton University
December 7, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Houghton University recently received a 2023 Health Equity Innovation Award from Univera Healthcare to provide on-campus mental health and wellness activities for its students. A small private Christian-centered, liberal arts university located...
Univera Healthcare Earns 85 percent in Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-24 Corporate Equality Index
November 30, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare has received a score of 85 percent out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to...
Seasonal Depression and the Holiday Blues
November 13, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Some people love the cold weather months. For others, this time of year leaves them feeling sad, depressed or even lonely. Geoffrey Hopkins, MD, senior medical director of behavioral health at Univera Healthcare, answers some questions about the...
Learn your risk for taking a fall
November 10, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
A simple test can help identify individuals at risk for a fall. It’s called the Timed Up and Go test, or TUG test, and anyone can do it at home. “Falls are not a normal part of aging and can be prevented,” says Univera Healthcare Medical Director...
More Than 60 Summer 2024 Internship Positions Will Be Available at Univera Healthcare
November 7, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Starting now through November 22, Univera Healthcare is posting more than 60 internships for Summer 2024 for college students at its locations in upstate New York. Summer internship positions currently available include jobs in Actuarial,...
The right meds at the best value
November 7, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
A Univera Healthcare program is focusing on medication safety while saving millions of dollars in prescription drug costs. The program, Pharmacy Concierge, is available to most midsize and large employers through the health plan. ...
Health Insurer Awards Hospitals $28 Million for Quality Improvements
October 31, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Thirty-one upstate New York hospitals and health centers earned a combined $28 million in quality improvement payments from the Rochester-based health insurer that includes Univera Healthcare in Western New York. The funds are part of the nonprofit...
Don’t Fall for Health Care Related Schemes
October 30, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Scammers may try to trick you out of your private information. At this time of year when many people are re-enrolling in health care coverage, we see that scammers increase their activity, so Univera Healthcare has several tips to help you avoid...
Univera Healthcare announces 2023 Health Equity Innovation Awards Recipients
October 25, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare announced the recipients of its 2023 Health Equity Innovation Awards today. The awards represent more than $112,000 in financial support the nonprofit health insurer is providing to community programs that address racial and ethnic...
Vaccines for COVID-19, Flu, and RSV are available
What to know to be protected this fall and winter
October 20, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
This fall, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends all Americans consult with their health care provider about receiving vaccines for COVID-19 and seasonal influenza (flu). In addition, an RSV vaccine may be recommended by...
Join the movement - Help grow the blood stem cell donor registry
Seventy percent of African Americans who need a blood or bone marrow donor won’t find a match.
October 18, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Each year in the U.S., more than 18,000 people are diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancers or other blood disorders that could be cured or treated with a blood stem cell transplant, according to Be The Match/the National Marrow Donor Program. For...
Medicare Recognizes Univera Healthcare for Quality
October 13, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its 2024 quality ratings, and again this year recognized Univera Healthcare for its Medicare Advantage plans. This is the eleventh consecutive year the health plan has ranked above average...
Univera Healthcare appoints Simone E. Edwards, DrPH, MPH as VP Health Equity and Community Investments
October 2, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare announces the appointment of Simone E. Edwards, DrPH, MPH, as vice president health equity and community investments, reinforcing the health plan’s unwavering commitment to a more equitable and inclusive health care landscape for...
Univera Healthcare Medicaid HMO among the nation’s best-rated
September 21, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare is one of just 13 health plans nationwide to earn 4.5 stars (out of a possible five) and accreditation for its Medicaid HMO from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to...
Univera Healthcare members have new options to a top-selling drug
September 6, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare members living with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and plaque psoriasis, and who use HUMIRA® to address pain and inflammation, now have additional treatment options covered by the insurer; the...
Nonprofits Can Now Apply for Univera Healthcare Health Equity Innovation Award Funding
August 14, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare is once again inviting nonprofit organizations to apply for 2023 Health Equity Innovation Award (HEIA) funding. The awards help fund health and wellness programs that address racial and ethnic health disparities in upstate New York....
Preventing readmissions after a hospital stay
August 9, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
About one in ten patients discharged from the hospital are readmitted within 30 days, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.* “For planned hospital admissions,...
Univera’s Vice-President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Receives Leadership Award
July 13, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Sady Alvarado-Fischer, vice-president of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Univera Healthcare, has been selected as a “Healthcare Diversity Leader”by the National Diversity Council. She will be formally recognized for her leadership excellence at the...
Univera Healthcare named to the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion®
July 11, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare is pleased to be named to the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion. Univera Healthcare received a top score of 100 percent on the 2023 Disability Equality Index (DEI), a national benchmarking survey by Disability:IN and the...
Prepare your child for peak asthma season
June 30, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Dr. Lisa Harris If you have a child with asthma, now is the time to revisit their asthma action plan so you are prepared for the annual increase in asthma attacks that occurs each year as kids return to the classroom. A dramatic rise in the number of...
Ask the Expert: Q&A with BJ Adigun of Univera Healthcare
June 9, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
How a recent change may impact upstate New Yorkers with Medicaid, Essential Plan or Child Health Plus BJ Adigun If you or a family member are one of the more than 1.3 million* upstate New Yorkers with Medicaid, Essential Plan or Child Health Plus, you...
Addressing uncomfortable topics with your health care provider
June 6, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Health insurers regularly conduct surveys of their Medicare members to learn about their relationship with their health care providers and the conversations they have (or don’t have) about topics that aren’t always easy to discuss. Problems with memory,...
Know the signs of heat exhaustion
June 5, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Lorna Fitzpatrick, M.D. We’ve already had some sizzling days, and there will be many more this summer. Not everyone responds to the heat in the same way, and for some people, a stretch of high temperatures can be deadly. Heat-related illness, known...
Addressing uncomfortable topics with your health care provider
June 1, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
Health insurers regularly conduct surveys of their Medicare members to learn about their relationship with their health care providers and the conversations they have (or don’t have) about topics that aren’t always easy to discuss. Problems with memory,...
Safe backyard grilling reduces injuries and protects property
May 23, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
More than 19,000 people in the U.S. are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year for injuries involving grills, according to data compiled by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and reviewed by Univera Healthcare. About half of the...
Marketing menthols to Black youth - An unfortunate success
April 17, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
More than 70% of Black young people ages 12 to 17 who smoke use menthol cigarettes. Of Black smokers ages 18 to 24, 93% started with menthol cigarettes. In 2019, approximately 85% of non-Hispanic Black or African American adults who smoked used menthol...
ConnectLife receives Health Equity Award from Univera Healthcare
January 27, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
A health equity award from Univera Healthcare will help ConnectLife create a new Minority Donation and Transplant Stakeholders Council to provide input to ConnectLife leadership and staff regarding cultural competency issues relating to organ, eye, and...
Charting your course to wellness in 2023
January 23, 2023 | Buffalo, NY
The new year is a great time to focus on overall wellness and take steps to improve in all areas of life. “Each day presents a new opportunity to practice self-care,” says Dr. Geoffrey Hopkins, Univera Healthcare senior medical director for behavioral...
Q&A on Medicare Basics with Ryan Dolan, Univera Healthcare Medicare Consultant Manager
November 21, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
Are you newly Medicare eligible (turning 65), planning to retire soon, or have had Medicare for years and wonder if you’re in the right plan? Regardless, Medicare can be confusing. Ryan Dolan, Medicare Consultant Manager at Univera Healthcare offers...
Univera Healthcare appoints Lisa White as Chief Administrative Officer
November 14, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
The Rochester-based health plan that includes Univera Healthcare in Western New York has appointed Lisa White as Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President. White, in her new role, has also joined the company’s executive leadership team. ...
Hospitalizations from flu are highest in over a decade
November 14, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
The hospitalization rate from flu cases at this point in the year is higher than the rate observed at this same point during previous flu seasons going back to 2010-2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of late October,...
Univera Healthcare awards grants to address maternal health disparities
October 17, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare announces the first round of recipients of Member and Community Health Improvement (MACHI) grants to address severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and related health equity issues in upstate New York. Among eight grant recipients from...
Vets helping vets: A new Medicare plan targeting the needs of veterans
October 12, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare will offer a Medicare Advantage plan in 2023 targeting the needs of local veterans. Karen Bodley “We all know how important it is to honor the service of local veterans,” said Karen Bodley, vice president, Medicare at Univera...
Univera Healthcare has again been awarded among the highest ratings from Medicare in Western New York
October 7, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its 2023 quality ratings. Univera Healthcare has again been awarded some of the highest ratings in Western New York and the nation for quality performance in clinical care and outstanding...
Monkeypox Q&A
October 3, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
With the United States experiencing an outbreak of the monkeypox virus, Anna Kanaley, MD, answers some common questions about the disease. Dr. Kanaley is a medical director at Univera Healthcare. Please note: Consult your doctor if you believe you’re...
Commit to Staying at Your Summer Weight
September 23, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
It’s so much easier to maintain a healthy weight when the weather is warm because you’re out of the house and on the move. You’re cutting the lawn, playing golf, walking the dog each evening with the other pet parents on the block, and you’re sweating …...
Breast cancer awareness is important, but mammograms can save lives
September 21, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
In New York state, 83% of individuals who are recommended to have a mammogram are following the state’s screening guidelines, a percentage that’s been stable for two decades according to a review of state data by Univera Healthcare. That means a...
NCQA Releases 2022 Health Plan Ratings
September 19, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
The Rochester-based health insurer that operates in Western New York as Univera Healthcare has just received its 2022 ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The following ratings (based on a 5 Star rating system) reflect 2021...
One third of adults are prediabetic and most don’t know it
August 22, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
One in three adults in the U.S. – or about 88 million Americans – has prediabetes, yet more than 80 percent of them don’t know it, according to a Univera Healthcare review of current data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a...
Napierala Named VP of Medicare and Individual Market Sales
August 8, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
Andrew Napierala has been hired as Vice President of Medicare and Individual Market Sales for the Rochester-based health insurer that includes Univera Healthcare. His oversight will include field sales, telesales, retail sites, and broker...
Univera Healthcare named to the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion®
July 20, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare is pleased to be named to the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion after receiving a top score of 100 percent on the 2022 Disability Equality Index (DEI), a national benchmarking survey by Disability:IN and the American...
Uncomfortable topics: Promoting open dialogue between patient and provider
July 14, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
Univera Healthcare regularly conducts health outcome surveys of a random sampling of its Medicare members to learn about their relationship with their health care providers and the conversations they have (or don’t have) about topics including their...
Cervical Cancer Screening Saves Lives
June 8, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
In New York state, 20 percent of individuals who are eligible for cervical cancer screening are not following the screening guidelines, despite the evidence that screening saves lives. A review of data by Univera Healthcare found that since...
Well-child visits over summer break: Book them now
May 4, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
It’s not too early to arrange the medical and dental visits your kids will need over the summer break from school. With planning, you’ll be able to easily fit the well-child visits, camp physicals, and dental check-ups into your schedule of day trips,...
Medication Adherence - The Importance of Taking Medications as Directed
April 21, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
The World Health Organization says that getting more patients to take their medications as directed, known as medication adherence, may have a greater impact on the health of the population than any improvement in specific medical treatments. But,...
TIME FOR EVERYONE TO GET #VACCINEREADY
April 1, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
Because of COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minorities, Univera Healthcare is working to help the community become #VaccineReady during National Minority Health Month. Univera Healthcare has a dedicated COVID-19 website that...
Make saving lives your legacy: Register to be an organ donor
March 21, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
More than 8,500 New York state residents are waiting for an organ transplant that can save their life, according to a review of state data by Univera Healthcare. Unfortunately, time will run out for around 500 of them, as that is the average number of...
Too many people skip colon cancer screening
February 25, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
Colorectal cancer is among the leading causes of cancer deaths in New York state, but roughly one-third of adults who should be checked for the disease have not been screened. A Univera Healthcare review of 2020 health data found that 71.5 percent of...
Health Insurer Awards Hospitals $30 Million for Quality Improvements
February 14, 2022 | Buffalo, NY
Thirty-one upstate New York hospitals and health centers earned a combined $30 million in quality improvement payments from the Rochester-based health insurer that includes Univera Healthcare in Western New York. The funds are part of the nonprofit...
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