PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--People with Medicare in Arizona now will have additional access to patient-focused primary care thanks to Iora Health and Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) teaming up to add two additional Iora Primary Care practices to Humana’s Medicare Advantage Plan network in Arizona.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this care to more older adults in Arizona as a result of our long-lasting partnership with Humana.”

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This is the fourth consecutive year Iora Health and Humana have teamed up to expand their value-based relationship. The new practices mean that Humana Medicare Advantage members in Arizona, Colorado and Washington state have access to Iora’s 18 primary care practices – seven in Phoenix metro, two in Tucson, five in Denver and four in Seattle.

The first additional Iora Primary Care practice is located at 13940 W. Meeker Blvd. in Sun City West and will start seeing patients on Oct. 2, 2017. The second additional Iora Primary Care practice will start seeing patients on Jan. 2, 2018, and will be located in Sun City.

“When we asked older adults in the Sun City area - and beyond - what’s most important to them when choosing and staying with their primary care physician, most highlighted time and respect. Iora’s doctors have half the number of patients of a typical doctor in order to be able to spend more time with them to better meet their needs,” said Dr. Rick Kratche, MD, Arizona Medical Director at Iora Primary Care. “We are thrilled to be able to offer this care to more older adults in Arizona as a result of our long-lasting partnership with Humana.”

Humana is adding these new Iora Primary Care practice locations to its network in an effort to improve access to care and quality of care in order to help members achieve their best health. The new practices, operated by Iora Health, accept certain Medicare Advantage plans administered by Humana, as well as Original Medicare.

“People with Medicare often have different needs, especially as they age, so being able to team up with Iora to offer primary care in the communities where they live is key to helping our members start with healthy,” said Mark Iorio, Central West Region President for Humana’s Senior Products. “Humana’s strong Medicare capabilities and Iora’s passionate focus on patient care go hand-in-hand allowing us to offer a patient-focused care experience that helps our members at every stage in their health care journey.”

Iora Primary Care practices focus on a patient-first experience, which is tailored to the needs of each patient. Iora offers:

• Smaller panel sizes than the industry average so that doctors can spend more time listening to patients’ needs, solidifying relationships and ensuring that patients feel heard and respected.
• Integrated care team that includes doctors, Health Coaches, and Behavioral Health Specialists, who all help guide patients through the complex health system and ensure their care addresses the whole person.
• Convenience, including 24/7 access to doctors by phone for urgent needs, same/next day appointments, onsite labs, and locations with free parking.
• Access to Chirp, Iora’s proprietary collaborative care platform that is designed to allow patients to schedule appointments, access their records, and communicate with their care team.
• Close collaboration with Humana’s deep array of in-network specialists so patients have a coordinated care plan that addresses their needs.

Humana’s value-based relationships with providers, like Iora, are aimed at transforming health care by offering proactive, personalized care for Medicare beneficiaries. Humana and Iora strive to meet monthly to review member cases and issues. This helps ensure that members aren’t simply treated for what ails them, but are also provided with a more comprehensive team working on a plan to keep them on the path to their best health and ensuring they receive a health care experience designed with their needs foremost in mind.

By focusing on quality and health, Humana experienced 20 percent lower costs in total in 2015 for members who were treated by providers in a value-based reimbursement model setting versus an estimation of original fee-for-service Medicare costs using CMS Limited Data Set Files.

As of June 30, 2017, Humana has 1.8 million individual Medicare Advantage members and 142,000 commercial members who are cared for by 50,700 primary care providers, in more than 900 value-based relationships across 43 states and Puerto Rico.

As of June 30, 2017, approximately 65 percent of Humana individual Medicare Advantage members are seeing providers who are in value-based payment relationships with Humana. Humana’s goal is to have 67 percent of individual Medicare Advantage members using providers in value-based payment models by the end of 2017. For more information, visit humana.com/valuebasedcare.

About Iora Health

Iora Health^® is building a different kind of health system to deliver high impact relationship based care. With a mission to restore humanity to health care and goal to transform healthcare overall, Iora Health’s care model provides extraordinary service to patients to ensure improved health outcomes while lowering overall plan costs. Our patients benefit from better access to care, office and non-office based encounters, an accessible and transparent medical record, and robust educational offerings. Our practices across the U.S. enjoy the benefits of smaller panel sizes, closer relationships with patients, and the opportunity to lead systemic change in health care delivery while working with a true team.

For more information, please visit www.iorahealth.com. More information regarding Iora Primary Care is at the practice web site at www.ioraprimarycare.com.

About Humana

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is committed to helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large.

To accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes health care easier to navigate and more effective.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:

• Annual reports to stockholders
• Securities and Exchange Commission filings
• Most recent investor conference presentations
• Quarterly earnings news releases and conference calls
• Calendar of events
• Corporate Governance information

Additional Information:

Humana is a Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO and PFFS organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal. Other Physicians/Providers are available in our network. The provider network may change at any time. Impacted members will receive notice when necessary.

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