Partners in Primary Care and the University of Houston will collaborate to enhance quality-based care and support the use of best practices in the delivery of care to seniors.
Originally Published by Humana.
People with Medicare and Medicare Advantage in and around Houston will have access to senior-focused, primary care centers when Partners in Primary Care opens five new medical centers in the metro area.
Partners in Primary Care, a subsidiary of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), is part of a family of senior-focused, primary care centers that deliver care to 35,000 Medicare Advantage patients. Each Partners in Primary Care center serves members from many different Medicare health plans. Like its existing centers, each new Partners in Primary Care center will be staffed by board-eligible physicians and care teams who have been specially trained to treat the senior population.
“At our Partners in Primary Care practices, physicians spend more time with their patients and our care teams focus on creating personalized care plans designed to help patients achieve their best possible health,” said Renee Buckingham, president of Humana’s Care Delivery Organization. “Senior-focused care goes well beyond treating you when you’re sick; it can include helping patients with social, behavioral and financial needs as well.”
Four centers will open this summer with one more opening in the fall in Meyerland. The first four new centers will open in the following locations:
- Downtown East, 5104 Harrisburg Blvd., Ste. 800, Houston , TX 77011
- Gulfgate, 545 Gulfgate Center Mall, Houston, TX 77087
- Jacinto City, 1910 John Ralston Road, Ste. 200, Houston, TX 77013
- Pasadena, 3915 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, TX 77504
Members of the community can learn more by calling (713) 804-8061.
The new primary care centers are also designed to foster collaboration with the University of Houston and its Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute. The institute fosters interprofessional team-based care, with a focus on health professions training programs in the colleges of medicine, nursing, optometry, pharmacy and social work. In September 2018, Humana and the University of Houston announced a long-term strategic relationship to train future health care leaders with a focus on advancing population health, improving health outcomes and expanding the use of value-based payment models.
Partners in Primary Care and the University of Houston will collaborate in a wide variety of ways to enhance quality-based care and support the use of best practices in the delivery of care, including:
- Partners in Primary Care centers will be used as learning labs to host University of Houston pharmacy and social work students in rotations to learn about integrated care first-hand and serve the communities closest to the university. Future rotations will also include physician and nursing students.
- Partners in Primary Care and the University of Houston will collaborate using data and technology resources to innovate and enhance primary care delivery for seniors.
- Partners in Primary Care will provide input into the development of curriculum about integrated models of care for the new University of Houston College of Medicine’s class of physicians.
“Our goal is to improve health care delivery and the health of our communities by empowering students to become agents of change,” said Lamar Pritchard, Ph.D., Dean of the UH College of Pharmacy. “Collaborating with Partners in Primary Care will not only help seniors live their best lives, but our students will experience the effectiveness of integrated care first hand. That’s a win-win.”
“Seniors have different medical and physical challenges than other adult patients, and those challenges become more unique as they age. Houston has one of largest and fastest growing populations of seniors and we’re excited about the impact Partners in Primary Care will have on their quality of life,” said Kate Blackmon, Vice President for Partners in Primary Care. “The partnership with the University of Houston makes these primary care centers truly stand out, and together we will focus on finding ways to better care for our aging population to ensure they live their best life.”
The centers will include:
- A pharmacist who will be embedded in the care model as part of the care team. This pharmacist will consult with patients and physicians to drive optimal drug therapy and support quality of care initiatives.
- A clinical advocate who will be part of the care team to consult on social services and other behavioral health needs.
- A community center that will offer free health and fitness programming, games and wellness activities that are open to anyone in the community with a goal to help seniors stay active and form social circles.
- Partnerships with the local food banks, churches, and community organizations to support the social and well-being needs of patients.
For more information on Partners in Primary Care centers in other states, visit www.PartnersInPrimaryCare.com.
