Our shift over the years from a health insurance company to a health-care services organization symbolizes more than a strategic evolution; it represents our dedication and commitment to caring for the needs of our customers, our employees, our communities and our environment.
For our customers, it is our responsibility to ensure they have the high-quality, comprehensive care they deserve. We’re proud our dedication to putting their health first was recognized again this year in our Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Star Ratings, with 94% of our members in plans rated 4 stars or higher, 61% in plans rated 4.5 or 5 stars and 37% of all 5-star Medicare Advantage (MA) membership on a Humana plan. These ratings demonstrate our continued commitment to customer satisfaction and quality care.
We’ve also designed our services, so they are integrated and accessible where, when and how our customers need them. Through our CenterWell™ offerings of primary care, home health and pharmacy, our members and patients have better outcomes and greater satisfaction and are more likely to continue their health journey with us.
In primary care, we operate nearly 300 clinics designed to address the unique needs of seniors, providing access to care in historically underserved areas where limited to no primary care exists. Focused on delivering quality care and patient experiences, our clinics emphasize prevention and lifestyle changes to improve the health of our more than 295,000 patients.
In home health, over 50% of the more than 350 CenterWell Home Health® locations in 38 states achieved a Star Rating of 4.5 or above, up from about 29% in July 2022, with clinicians making thousands of home visits each day. Additionally, in 2023, our branches received a 4.29 average Quality of Patient Care rating from CMS, outperforming the CMS industry average of 3.25: a testament to our focus on quality.
Our pharmacy mail-order rate is among the top in the country, with 35% of MA members using our pharmacy services. We’ve made it easier to manage and fill prescriptions through a variety of ways. For our specialty pharmacy patients, we offer disease-state specific expertise for members and dedicated centers of excellence for oncology, pulmonary, rare disease and neuromuscular conditions. CenterWell Pharmacy® served over 2.6 million customers and filled nearly 51.5 million mail-order pharmacy prescriptions in 2023.
For our employees, we strive to create a workforce that mirrors the diversity and resilience of the communities we serve. Part of this commitment is reflected in the learning programs and training/development opportunities we offer that support our teammates’ health, sense of belonging, purpose, and security. On average, full-time employees spent a total of 49 hours on learning and development activities and leveraged nearly $16 million in tuition and education support in 2023. And, because volunteering is such a meaningful way of showing care, full-time employees receive 8 hours of paid volunteer time off (VTO) each year. Last year alone, over 16,700 teammates found ways to give back to their communities by rolling up their sleeves and volunteering. Our efforts were recognized as a Top Employer for Diversity and as a Certified Great Place to Work®.
For our communities, we are committed to improving healthcare access and health outcomes through health equity efforts. In fact, the results of a study of over 500,000 Humana MA members in 2021 showed patients of value-based, senior-focused primary care organizations (like CenterWell Senior Primary Care®) had more primary care visits, fewer hospitalizations and fewer emergency department visits than patients of more traditional primary care providers. The largest differences were seen among Black patients who received 49% more primary care visits, 22% fewer emergency department visits and 16% fewer hospitalizations. In addition, we launched health literacy, cultural humility and implicit bias training for employees to better understand, support and care for the diverse needs of our patients and members. Through Humana Healthy Horizons®, our Medicaid brand, we’ve contributed $10 million in community investments to support and fund equity-focused programs and community organizations. We’re also breaking down barriers for veterans by providing access to meals and addressing homelessness—each in partnership with the Humana Foundation which donated 23 grants totaling $12.9 million to communities in 2023.
For our environment, just as we care about our customers and our employees, we are also committed to the health of our planet. From a facilities perspective, we’re working to increase our energy efficiencies by utilizing solar panels, shifting to LED lighting and smart thermostats, and moving to remote building monitoring solutions to better identify inefficiencies. We have also begun transitioning our CenterWell Home Health vehicle fleet to hybrid vehicles to impact the air quality more positively around our patients’ homes and communities.
In keeping with our commitment to addressing climate change and our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 54.6% by 2032, we’ve seen a decrease since 2021 in gas emissions directly and indirectly influenced by our organization’s choices like onsite energy consumption and owned-vehicle emissions.
As we reflect on the year, it has been one of great progress, with much recognition underscoring our commitment to excellence, including the World’s Best Companies of 2023 by TIME and the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, reflecting an increase of overall satisfaction with health insurers to a 76 out of 100, the highest level the industry has ever received. Humana is again the industry leader with a score of 82 out of 100, a 6% increase over our score last year. The study is based on interviews with nearly 13,000 customers to evaluate their recent experiences with each company’s products and services.
None of this would have been possible without our talented and dedicated teammates who show up every day to make a difference for our customers and for one another, with our company values—caring, curious, committed—leading the way in how we interact with others both inside and outside the organization.
We look forward to continuing in our commitment to making the healthcare system more equitable, affordable and easier to navigate, ensuring healthcare is more than a service but an important journey that puts health first for every person who has entrusted us with their care.
Looking ahead, you will see through our actions our ongoing commitment to prioritizing the health and well-being of our customers, our employees and our communities.
To learn more about Humana’s impact and how we continue working to make it easier for people to achieve their best health, read the full 2023 Humana Impact Report.
