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Superior HealthPlan Awarded Contract to Continue Serving Texas Foster Care Population

Date: 09/16/22

Superior HealthPlan will continue to provide children and youth in foster care with healthcare coverage through the STAR Health Medicaid program. A new six-year contract was awarded to Superior by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). Superior has been the sole provider of STAR Health coverage since the program launched in 2008.

“Superior is honored to be entrusted with providing comprehensive healthcare and support to children and youth in foster care by HHSC,” said Mark Sanders, President and CEO of Superior HealthPlan. “For 14 years, we have served this vulnerable population and will continue to work each day to ensure they received access to quality and holistic healthcare.”

In collaboration with HHSC and the Department of Family & Protective Services (DFPS), Superior became the first managed care organization in the country in 2008 to provide statewide Medicaid coverage to children in foster care. Since that time, Superior has relied on a collaborative approach to healthcare, spearheading several initiatives to better serve these members:

  • Foster Care Centers of Excellence: Launched in 2017, Superior’s Foster Care Center of Excellence program is designed to raise the level of care received by foster care members. To qualify, providers must meet more than 60 criteria, including quality improvement initiatives, program processes, and staff requirements. There are currently 10 providers across Texas who have received the designation.
  • Health Passport: Developed in coordination with HHSC and DFPS, Superior’s Health Passport tool is a patient-centered, internet-based health record. It makes a foster child’s information, including allergies, immunizations, and lab test results available in real-time to authorized providers and medical stakeholders such as caseworkers.
  • Turning Point: Established in 2013 by Superior, Cenpatico, ACH Child and Family Services, and Dr. Rupinder Bhatia, a local psychiatrist, the Turning Point Program is a resource for caregivers of children placed in foster care who are facing crises. The program gives caregivers access to crisis services instead of seeking inpatient treatment at a hospital, helping children avoid psychiatric hospitalizations. In partnership with Pathways Youth and Family Services, this program has grown even more, and plans to further expand the program are underway.

“Children in foster care tend to have more complex healthcare needs as they are more likely to have experienced trauma and other situations that can have a profound impact on their lives,” said Dr. David Harmon, Chief Medical Director at Superior. “That’s why we have expanded access to behavioral health services, identified ways to address social determinants of health, and provide the individualized care and support our members in foster care need.”

For more information about Superior HealthPlan and the STAR Health program, visit FosterCareTX.com.