Banner, Hue launch direct primary care network in NoCo - Loveland Reporter-Herald

Banner Health has signed an agreement with Hue Health Inc. to offer a direct primary care network in Northern Colorado to be called 39North.

Arvada-based Hue Health is helping Banner implement a new performance-based primary care health plan. The plan — 39North — is named after the latitude it serves in Northern Colorado. It will use Flume Health Inc., which offers a health-plan-as-a-service platform designed to reduce the complexity of designing and managing a health care plan, according to a press statement from Banner.

39North will cover all medical services and be available to employers and employees in the area who are eligible to receive in-network health care at Banner's local facilities.

"The goal is to improve the coordination of a patient's care to ensure that all care is necessary, efficient for the patient and provider, and will move the patient toward the best health outcome possible. The program also works to provide the best price transparency possible for patients," the press statement said.

Banner will provide all medical services under the plan, including specialty care, while Hue Health manages cost savings, price transparency and consistency by developing direct contracts with hospitals and health care providers.

Services under the plan range from acute care as well as preventive health screenings, annual wellness visits and immunizations. Patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, are managed with the involvement of clinical pharmacists and diabetic educators to provide ongoing monitoring of their condition, the press statement said.

"Primary care impacts around 90% of downstream health care costs, so effective coordination and incentives can impact both cost and quality at all levels of care," Jake Kerr, CEO of Hue Health said in the press statement. "Hue Health offers performance-based primary care — a concierge level of patient care that also includes performance incentives to providers. The concept of value-based care, based on quality rather than quantity, is improving outcomes across the board and drives the strategy at Hue. Working with a health care leader like Banner and a visionary like Flume to meet the specific needs of the people of Northern Colorado is key to our success."

"By joining forces with Hue, we will be able to further extend our medical care services, anchored in primary care, quickly and affordably, to reach as many members in the area as possible," said Jim Branom, payor and provider relations director for Banner.

The benefit to employers, according to the press statement, will be "creative ways to improve benefits and salaries to attract workers. By helping companies save significantly on their health benefits, a plan like 39North enables them to put more money toward increased employee salaries to attract and retain talent.

This article was first published by BizWest, an independent news organization, and is published under a license agreement. © 2022 BizWest Media LLC.

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