Colorado state employees now have access to Paladina Health's family practice physicians

Paladina Health, an innovative primary care approach to delivering individualized health care, announced today that State of Colorado employees and their eligible dependents who have health coverage through UnitedHealthcare now have access to Paladina Health's family practice physicians in Colorado. This partnership enables the State of Colorado to use Paladina Health's program to help improve health measures of their employees and their families while aiming to reduce health care costs.

"We are proud to offer state employees a unique health care experience delivered by a company based right here in Colorado," said Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. "The number of employees and their families that will benefit from this partnership will only continue to grow as Paladina Health extends its footprint throughout the state."

Through this relationship, UnitedHealthcare members now have access to Paladina Health's "medical home" approach to primary care, which includes unhurried appointments, 24/7 telephonic consultation with a patient's personal physician when issues arise, and help in personally guiding outside care – at no- or low-cost to the patient.

"Employers and employees face significant hurdles in the health care system – in quality, access and cost. Visionary employers, like the State of Colorado, are seeking innovative programs to help overcome these hurdles and better serve their employee populations," said Jami Doucette, MD, MBA, Leader, Paladina Health. "We are thrilled to be able to partner with the State and UnitedHealthcare to provide employees and their families access to a doctor who is willing to dedicate as much time as it takes to build a bonding relationship that engages patients in their health."

"Employee engagement is key and the foundation of Paladina Health," said Kent Thiry, CEO for DaVita HealthCare Partners. "It's a great honor to serve the thousands of Coloradoans with this care."

Eligible Colorado state employees now have access to Paladina Health physicians at ten locations throughout the state – a list that continues to grow:

• Boulder
• Cañon City
• Colorado Springs
• Denver Metro:
  • Aurora
  • Broomfield
  • Capitol Hill
  • Denver Tech Center
  • Lower Downtown
  • Lakewood
• Pueblo West

"UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to work with Paladina Health and the State of Colorado to bring this innovative model to more Coloradans," said Beth Soberg, president and CEO of UnitedHealthcare in Colorado. "We believe this collaboration will help strengthen our customers' relationships with their primary care physicians, and encourage better health and better care at a lower cost."

Making primary care easy and accessible is the key in maximizing its effectiveness. The Paladina Health Medical Home puts the patient and the physician in partnership to help address all aspects of the patient's health, through significantly greater access and time available with their personal physician. For example, Paladina Health patients currently spend an average of four minutes in the waiting room and get significant one-on-one time with their doctor.

Paladina Health now operates more than 50 locations in 11 states. Paladina Health serves a variety of clients nationwide who are seeking to truly improve the health care service experience and health and well-being of their covered population and gain control over health care costs in the short and long term.

According to a recent patient satisfaction survey,

• 94% of Paladina Health patients are satisfied with their access to the physician.
• 94% of Paladina Health patients are satisfied with the quality of care they received.
• 79% of Paladina Health patients feel their health has somewhat or significantly improved as a result of Paladina Health.