DENVER, Jan. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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.

About State of Colorado
The Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration's mission is to provide quality services to enhance state government success. From human resources to central services, procurement to payment, administrative courts to financial reporting, DPA is working together to serve Colorado.

About Paladina Health
Denver-based Paladina Health, a subsidiary of health care services company DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., is a physician-access "medical home" model that strives to improve patient care and satisfaction by providing convenient and unhurried patient-centered care and a broad scope of services. In Colorado and nationwide, employers who offer Paladina Health to their employees aim to provide the highest-quality benefits while keeping a long-range view of improving the health and wellness of their covered population. With 14 clinics across Colorado, Paladina Health provides health care services for a dozen employers-of-choice in the state. For more information, visit paladinahealth.com. 

About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 850,000 physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.

About DaVita HealthCare Partners
DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., a Fortune 500® company, is the parent company of DaVita Kidney Care and HealthCare Partners. DaVita Kidney Care is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, delivering dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. As of September 30, 2015, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,225 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 177,000 patients. The company also operated 104 outpatient dialysis centers located in 10 countries outside the United States. HealthCare Partners manages and operates medical groups and affiliated physician networks in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida and Colorado in its pursuit to deliver excellent-quality health care in a dignified and compassionate manner. As of September 30, 2015 HealthCare Partners provided integrated care management for approximately 808,000 patients. For more information, please visit DaVitaHealthCarePartners.com.

Contact Information
Media:
Paladina Health
Kate Wilson Stabrawa, 303-876-7527
kate.stabrawa@davita.com

State of Colorado
Michaela Turner, 303-866-3477
michaela.turner@state.co.us

UnitedHealthcare
Kristen Hellmer, 602-255-8466
kristen_hellmer@uhc.com

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SOURCE DaVita HealthCare Partners