Patina Medical Group, a primary care provider based in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, is partnering with Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to offer its primary care to select Independence Medicare Advantage Plus members. Members who have Keystone 65 HMO or Personal Choice 65sm PPO plans can utilize Patina’s program, which specializes in care for people 65 and older.
“Patina is exclusively focused on improving the healthcare and aging experience of adults 65+. We have expertise in the changes the body goes through during the normal course of aging (e.g., body composition, vision, hearing, sleep, cardiac function, fatigue, [and other maladies],” said Jack Stoddard, CEO of Patina in an email.
He added that the Patina can provide care for people managing one or more chronic conditions such as arthritis, CHF, diabetes, falls, depression, dementia and other needs that often emerge as people age.
“The need for care tailored to values is magnified for adults 65+ who often have unique physical, cognitive, or social needs. Patina addresses this by building a primary care experience from scratch, with clinicians who are experts in the aging process, and tuning care to the specific strengths and needs of adults 65+,” Stoddard said.
In addition to its focus on the elderly population, Patina offers both virtual and in-home care, rather than office visits, as the main sources of care for patients, according to the news release. Stoddard likens this model to leveraging technology to bring care back to the home as it was circa 70 years ago.
The company creates a customized care team for each patient to understand the unique needs of each patient in the hope of offering preventive, not just reactive care.
Specifically, the care team includes both a health champion and a primary care physician, with others added based on individual patient needs and goals, according to the company. For example, the team could include a nurse practitioner, behavioral health specialist, pharmacist, geriatrician, chronic condition specialist, logistics specialist, among others, depending on the individual needs of each patient.
Patina envisions this care team as the “go to” resource for anything a patient needs, from scheduling appointments to arranging care from multiple providers to tapping into community resources, according to its press release.
“Patina gives every patient his or her own multidisciplinary care team who take the time to get to know the patient, build a trusted relationship, and to create a personalized care plan based on the patient’s values, goals, context, and preferences,” Stoddard said. “All too often, the traditional healthcare system defines patients by their medical problems and associated treatments rendered in discrete, reactive episodes. This model misses what matters most: our goals and values in life, and our preferences in how we’d like to manage our health.”
With this partnership, Independence members can utilize Patina as their primary care provider (PCP) at no additional costs beyond the member’s standard cost-sharing. Further, members who choose Patina as their PCP will still have access to the same benefits from their Independence plan. More than 100,000 Medicare Advantage members will have the option to utilize Patina as a result of the partnership.
Patina hopes its remote and in-home offerings will create equitable access to care for IBC members, whether they live in rural communities or in Philadelphia neighborhoods, according to Stoddard. Patina will go where clinics may never be built, he added.
Next steps for Patina include expanding to more markets throughout the country in partnership with national Medicare Advantage plans. Further, it plans to expand to the Philadelphia metro area come 2023, with offering Patina to other health plan member, according to Stoddard.
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