Humana's CenterWell eyes continued expansion

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Humana's CenterWell Senior Primary Care will continue expanding this year, with plans to open centers in three new locations: Asheville, North Carolina, and Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana.

It will also add new centers in the existing markets of Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Indianapolis; Jackson, Mississippi; Louisville, Kentucky; Orlando, Florida; and Richmond and Tidewater, Virginia.

CenterWell Senior Primary Care and its sister brand, Conviva Care Center, make up Humana's Primary Care Organization. They deliver care to about 295,000 seniors in nearly 300 centers as of December 31. 

The organization plans to continue adding 30 to 50 new centers across the U.S. through at least 2025, primarily in underserved communities.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

The new centers in Louisiana and North Carolina are tentatively slated to begin seeing patients in late spring and early summer. Remaining location opening dates will be released at a later time, but CenterWell's goal is to open all of the centers by the end of the year.

CenterWell Senior Primary Care operates under a value-based, holistic care model. Board-certified physicians and integrated care teams are specially trained to treat the senior population. Physicians and advanced practitioners spend more time with their patients – up to 50% more time than typical providers, according to the company – and care teams create personalized plans while also addressing social, behavioral and financial needs.

"The holistic care model at CenterWell Senior Primary Care benefits both seniors and clinicians," said Dr. Vivek Garg, chief medical officer for CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva Care Centers. "Interdisciplinary care teams of nurses, social workers, pharmacists and medical assistants work alongside our physicians and advanced practitioners, empowering them to provide truly age-friendly, comprehensive care that improves health outcomes and quality of life. The result is better preventive and chronic disease management, fewer avoidable visits to the emergency room and hospital, higher satisfaction with healthcare, and clinicians who are practicing medicine as they always imagined."

CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva Care Centers accept patients with original Medicare and a wide range of Medicare Advantage plans. The centers currently operate in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Texas.

THE LARGER TREND

In September CenterWell Senior Primary Care began offering in-home primary care services to seniors who seek care at certain facilities in Louisiana and Georgia.

The new program, Primary Care Anywhere, was facilitated in part by the acquisitions of Heal earlier in 2023. Heal is an organization focused on delivering primary care in the home.

ON THE RECORD

"Bringing these senior primary care centers to additional communities means more patients can benefit from the entire CenterWell ecosystem," said Dr. Sanjay Shetty, president of Humana's CenterWell healthcare services segment. "Giving more seniors access to the integrated assets of CenterWell – primary care, home health and pharmacy – means they'll receive the holistic care they need at a greater value throughout the healthcare journey."

"It's exciting to see our continued growth at CenterWell Senior Primary Care this year," said Reneé Buckingham, president of CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva Care Centers. "2023 was incredibly successful, with not just new in-person locations, but the debut of CenterWell Primary Care Anywhere, too. This year we'll bring much-needed primary care to three new communities and expand care to more seniors in existing markets."
 

Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.