Denver-based DaVita is expanding its push to dominate health care for all Americans, not just kidney patients, with the opening of a LoDo clinic offering primary care to the public. <\/p>\n
A subsidiary of DaVita now has primary doctor clinics in 11 states, with plans for many more, including a build-out of a Denver network under the Paladina Health brand name. <\/p>\n
The DaVita clinics operate under the \"concierge\" model, and are open to customers ranging from individuals to large, self-insured businesses. <\/p>\n
Individuals pay $99 a month, or $59 for children, to receive most of their health care needs through the clinic. The doctors give cell phone numbers and are available 24 hours a day, coordinating preventive care, tests and specialty care. <\/p>\n
For more specialized and expensive surgical or other procedures not handled by the clinic, patients are encouraged to have a backstop or catastrophic insurance plan with a high deductible. Paladina said that most patients will get 90 percent of their annual care through the clinic, for about $1,200 a year. <\/p>\n
With two major acquisitions of a clinic group and a physician management company in the past year, DaVita is rapidly testing its premise that data-driven, wellness-focused care will improve health and turn big profits. Outsiders have warned the strategy transforms a dialysis company into a riskier insurance model, and that patients in the past have rebelled against cost-control efforts. <\/p>\n
Paladina officials said their doctors have 700 to 800 patients each instead of the usual 3,000 to 4,000, and are compensated in part based on patient satisfaction and improving health. <\/p>\n
Other branches of DaVita want to win government pacts to manage care for Medicare patients, for example, in arrangements where DaVita shares in any savings as long as it meets quality goals. <\/p>\n
\"That's how you fix health care. And we want to be those providers,\" said Rebecca Steinfort, senior vice president of Paladina Health. <\/p>\n
DaVita acquired clinics in 10 other states when it bought operator ModernMed in January, and will consolidate them under Paladina. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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DaVita expands push into all health care with new Denver clinic<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Denver-based DaVita is expanding its push to dominate health care for all Americans, not just kidney patients, with the opening of a LoDo clinic offering primary care to the public. Continue reading