Centura Health Establishes 13 Clinically Integrated Health Neighborhoods across Colorado

January 13, 2013

About Centura Health

Innovative model to re-engineer health care delivery for healthier Colorado communities

ENGLEWOOD, CO - (January 14, 2013) Centura Health, Colorados leading health care network, today announced 13 locations across Colorado that will pioneer the health systems new approach to health care delivery and bring greater value to consumers. The health neighborhood model, currently available to limited populations, will create a clinically integrated network for all Coloradans, moving beyond the bricks and mortar of traditional reactive sick care delivered within the walls of a hospital, to help consumers more appropriately utilize the health care system to deliver better outcomes, with improved service and convenience while controlling costs.

In conjunction with several recent and upcoming announcements, todays news establishes the following 13 health neighborhood locations throughout Colorado, comprised of a total of 32 primary care practices, 96 primary care physicians and 102 specialist physicians who will engage in a whole-person, team-approach to medicine focused on health and wellness:

  • Pueblo
  • Caon City
  • Aurora
  • Parker
  • Littleton
  • Thornton
  • Denver two locations
  • Erie
  • Golden
  • Westminster
  • Grand County
  • San Luis Valley

This new approach to health care delivery changes the paradigm of how consumers interact with their health and the health care system today, shifting from a traditional reactive hospital- and physician-centric model to a consumer-centric model aimed at keeping people healthy. And while access to health neighborhoods is still very limited, the transformation is underway and is already serving Centura Healths associates and families through their 20,000-member plus benefit plan.

The new model requires us to physically rearrange how and where we deliver health care by creating smaller footprint, higher impact pockets of health care services that offer consumers greater convenience by clustering services to help consumers utilize the right care, at the right place, at the right time. Over time, expected improvements in population health will demonstrate the effectiveness of this new approach, and lower the overall cost of health care by identifying potential health problems while they are easily treatable.

WHAT IS A HEALTH NEIGHBORHOOD?

  • The health neighborhood is built around physician-led teams that use evidence-based medicine and best practices. The focus is on delivering high value care that offers outstanding outcomes, service and convenience while also controlling costs.
  • This next generation approach will restructure the traditional, reactive patient, doctor, hospital relationship and revolutionize the health care experience, moving from sick care to wellness care to provide optimum health care value.
  • Distinctly different from the fragmented medical care available in most communities today, Centura Health is built upon a model of collaboration and integration that seamlessly incorporates the key components of optimal health primary care, specialty services, urgent care, diagnostic services and occupational health, moving beyond the walls of its hospitals to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
  • The health neighborhood approach combines all of the elements of Centura Healths fully-integrated network, including the states largest multi-specialty physician practice, acute care, home care and hospice to make accessing a wide array of health care services convenient.
  • Health coordinators will be assigned to individuals and work to ensure patients understand and follow physician recommendations. Physicians will be monitoring patients for basic health care metrics that will help detect and diagnose conditions before they become chronic concerns. In the end, consumers will find more value in their health care and will learn how to play a greater role in their overall health.
  • Physicians participating in a health neighborhood agree to report meaningful use clinical quality measures such as hypertension, tobacco use and BMI screening in order to help ensure better outcomes. As the health neighborhoods program grows, quality metrics will be expanded to include diabetes hemoglobin A1C, diabetes blood pressure management, breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, and colorectal screening.

DELIVERING OPTIMAL HEALTH CARE VALUE FOR COLORADANS

  • Centura Health defines value as the combination of outcome effectiveness, service, convenience and cost. Our goal is for health care to be readily available and accessible, with outstanding and long-lasting clinical outcomes, provided in an environment of service excellence, at a reasonable cost.
  • We are creating systems of care, establishing physician practices, developing health neighborhoods, and affiliating with rural hospitals to create multiple access points and convenience for health care consumers.
  • Centura Health is working to provide a multitude of service offerings in a widespread, consistent, electronically-connected manner. We believe our compassionate, fully-integrated network will enhance the level of communication, comfort, privacy and confidence our patients experience.

QUOTES:

  • Through the health neighborhood approach, Centura Health is leveraging its statewide network to move past the bricks and mortar model of traditional, reactive health care, shifting the entire paradigm of health care delivery to meet the population health needs, bringing greater value to consumers, said Gary Campbell, Centura Health president and CEO. Grounded in a health care legacy that is well over 125 years in the making positions us with a unique opportunity to effectively make this significant change, which we are confident will lead to lower health care costs and better outcomes for all Coloradans.
  • Through an integrated team of health care providers - doctors, nurses, physician assistants, health coaches and navigators health neighborhoods aim to revitalize the consumer-physician relationship, placing consumers at the center of the equation and empowering them to become active partners in their health, said Steve Milligan, M.D., chair of the Colorado Health Neighborhoods board of directors. By promoting wellness and educating consumers to more actively participate in their health, we believe they will utilize the health care system differently, more effectively, and at a lower cost to keep themselves healthy.

###

About Centura Health

Centura Health, Colorados health care leader, is focused on connecting Coloradans to affordable, world-class care in every corner of the state. Centura Healths integrated statewide network includes 13 hospitals, seven senior living communities, medical clinics, affiliated partner hospitals, Flight For Life Colorado, 13 health neighborhood locations and home care and hospice services. Approximately 15,100 of the best hearts and minds in medicine, along with 6,000 physician partners, have access to the most technologically advanced tools available. For Coloradans, this means the top expertise and technology is right where you need it close to where you are. We reach beyond hospital walls to connect with people at every stage of life to bring them life-enriching compassion and life-affirming hope. Connections that only Centura Health can make. For information on Centura Health or any of the facilities in our network, please visit www.centura.org.