Members of the independently operated UnitedHealthcare affiliate, which emphasizes primary care, will have a care team and be allowed unfettered access to care with no copays in centers.
Taking aim at one of the most common complaints from healthcare consumers, Harken Health Insurance is eliminating many out-of-pocket costs for care under a plan offered, for now, in Atlanta, Chicago, and two South Florida counties.
Florida is the third test market for an approach based on research indicating that increased access to primary care leads to healthier outcomes at a lower cost.
Members will get no-cost access to 12 primary care centers in the two counties, centers that are deliberately small and designed to cater to a limited number of members, the company announced.
Harken Health is an independently operated affiliate of UnitedHealthcare, which is its sole investor.
The plans offered by Harken require no copays.
Members will be allowed unfettered access to care at the centers with no copays. And members will have a care team, which will include a primary care physician and behavioral health specialists, along with a health coach assigned to help develop overall health and well-being plans.
Health coaches will also accompany members to visits with their primary care physicians, the company says. Members may also take advantage of other health-oriented services at the centers, such as yoga, fitness, and nutrition classes.
The Florida plans follow similar initiatives launched this year in Atlanta and Chicago. Harken Health says it intends to expand those programs with more clinics in each city.
Lower Costs Eyed
The benefit to consumers is clear, but co-founder and CEO Tom Vanderheyden says it also makes sense from Harken Health's perspective.
"Our ROI will ultimately be lowered healthcare costs for our members and the system overall," Vanderheyden says.
"While we do need a sustainable business model in order for Harken to continue serving more members, right now we are focused on getting the relationship-based care model right, and we believe the improved health outcomes that will result will prove the business model."
The Atlanta and Chicago plans are exceeding expectations, Vanderheyden says, with a current total of 35,000 combined members.
"We measure our success based on member experiences and ask ourselves 'are we changing what members, the industry and our investors believe is possible in healthcare? Are we moving the needle on bringing care and patient experience back to the forefront?'" Vanderheyden says.
"We can proudly say we are doing that—and we see further evidence of that daily."
The challenge for Harken lies in resetting the way Americans consume healthcare and replacing the "emergency room or urgent care" mindset, Vanderheyden says.
That mindset stems from having limited access to relationship-based primary care teams, he says.
Harken is trying to change that mindset by encouraging a stronger relationship with primary care providers, who Vanderheyden says can be "the quarterbacks in a leaderless healthcare environment."
"Though so many Americans visit urgent care centers when they're sick, urgent care isn't structured to emphasize care. Care builds trust and relationships. It's well-documented that people who have a relationship with a primary care provider visit their provider more, listen, and follow directions better, and overall have better health," Vanderheyden says.
"PCPs in the right environment can do much more than the annual exam. They can attend to the whole person, their lifestyle, track progress, and more broadly coordinate care across multiple specialists and conditions."
Gregory A. Freeman is a contributing writer for HealthLeaders.