Unitedhealthcare, Rhode Island Primary Care Physicians Corporation Launch High-touch Program

CRANSTON, R.I. - April 3, 2013 - PRLog -- Rhode Island Primary Care Physicians Corporation (RIPCPC) and UnitedHealthcare have launched a new program to help people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare’s employer-sponsored health plans avoid or better manage chronic illnesses by improving care to patients and helping them become more actively engaged in their health and well-being.

As part of the new program, UnitedHealthcare patient liaisons collaborate with RIPCPC’s nurse case managers who will review with patients any risk factors, preventive tests, services and physician-recommended interventions, and then follow up to confirm the patient is following those recommendations. Participating primary care doctors will receive monthly updates on their patients, enabling them to monitor all of the care the patient is receiving.

The patient liaison program, started by UnitedHealthcare in Rhode Island, advances efforts to drive patient engagement and improve health care quality and outcomes.

The program also includes a new website, mywellview.com (https://mywellview.com/ui/), that integrates a patient’s medical records, health expenses and health plan information in one convenient place to help people manage their health securely and reliably. With the click of a button, patients can access their latest lab results, see if they have met their deductibles, check their claims and soon will be able to schedule their medical appointments. UnitedHealthcare plan participants who see RIPCPC’s physicians are automatically enrolled to participate.

“Rhode Island Primary Care is a leading provider of high-quality health care services in Rhode Island, and we are pleased that our health plan customers will have access to this new program that will enhance health care quality and delivery, and empower patients to play a greater role in their health care,” said Stephen J. Farrell, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Employer & Individual of New England.

As Rhode Island’s largest clinically integrated Independent Physician Practice, RIPCPC has a long track record implementing patient care medical home practices. RIPCPC’s innovation of an electronic medical records system, EpiChart, has helped it build state-of-the-art technological infrastructure to provide support services, such as information systems, for sharing and reporting clinical data. It also laid the building blocks to connect to CurrentCare, the State of Rhode Island’s Health Information Exchange (HIE).

“We are excited to partner with UnitedHealthcare and apply our expertise in health care innovation and patient-centered programs to improve the health of our local communities,” said Al Puerini, M.D., CEO, RIPCPC. “Together, we look forward to enhancing patients’ health care experience by making it simple, convenient, personal and transparent.”

UnitedHealthcare has extensive experience working with health care providers to enhance health care quality and efficiency. In February, UnitedHealthcare announced a first-of-its-kind accountable care program in Rhode Island with Lifespan. Last month, UnitedHealthcare announced an accountable care organization (ACO) with Coastal Medical.

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group  company, serves nearly 250,000 Rhode Island residents with a care provider network of 13 hospitals and more than 2,500 physicians statewide.

About RIPCPC

Rhode Island Primary Care, Rhode Island’s largest IPA, was formed in 1994 to provide a venue for the smaller & independent practices to work together with the ultimate goal of improving quality of care for their patients. Their PCP’s act as primary care providers for over 300,000 patients throughout the state of Rhode Island and also have an affiliation with over 200 specialty-care member physicians. Rhode Island Primary Care now has 38 practices that have received NCQA PCMH recognition. There are now 14 nurse care managers working in their member practices, following approximately 5,000 complex patients & working with the RIPCPC champion physicians to focus on quality improvement.

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 and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with 780,000 physicians and other health care professionals and 5,900 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 40 million people in health benefits and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group , a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.