Disruptions are currently taking place across all industries that are completely changing how consumers engage with companies. From Amazon and online shopping to Uber and transportation, traditional delivery models are evolving at the speed of light.
Healthcare is no different; we know change is necessary to better meet your needs and move the industry toward the future of care delivery. In order to help facilitate this move, we decided to ask ourselves: If we could start fresh, what type of health plan would we create?
The Solution
Today, Blue KC and Shawnee Mission Health announced the launch of Spira Care, a new combination of primary care and health insurance available exclusively to eligible Blue KC members beginning in January of 2018.
Spira Care is a combined primary care and insurance offering that gives members easy access to personal care. The entire experience was designed by consumers from start to finish to create a health plan that’s easy to understand and even easier to use. The Spira Care experience takes place at Care Centers, where personal Care Guides will help members navigate their care, and there are no deductibles, no copays and no additional cost for any procedures performed onsite.* Technology will play a major role, with email capabilities and text-messaging available at a patient’s request. Select prescriptions will also be offered onsite at each member’s regular copay level.
How It’s Different
Spira Care is designed to deliver a better patient experience and improve health outcomes at a lower cost. We have long known and supported the critical role that primary care plays in improving patient health, reducing health inequities and helping lower costs of care. Spira Care builds on our previous successes in bringing successful primary care programs to the Kansas City area, including the Blue KC Medical Home Program and CPC+.
Spira Care addresses several key challenges in the current healthcare landscape, including:
- Experience – Extended hours, telehealth and multiple options for communication will be available at all Spira Care locations.
- Simplicity – There are no copays, no deductibles and no additional costs for any care provided at the Spira Care Centers.*
- Quality – Spira Care’s “Care Team” approach streamlines the coordination of care for each patient, keeping care intuitive and personal.
- Cost – Spira Care is designed to create savings for members and employers by combining patient-centered primary care with the high-performance BlueSelect Plus network.
We want to bring back the personal side of healthcare, where people can make appointments easily and see a provider when it’s most convenient. The two Spira Care Centers are located in Olathe, Kansas (135th Street and Black Bob) and Shawnee, Kansas (Shawnee Mission Parkway, east of Nieman). The Olathe location will open on January 2, 2018, and the Shawnee location will open in April of 2018. Both locations will offer extended hours and provide easy access to an array of services for members including primary care visits, routine behavioral health services, lab draws, X-rays and more. Services provided outside of the Spira Care Centers, like a specialist visit with a doctor in the BlueSelect Plus network, will go toward the member’s applicable deductible. Visit SpiraCare.com to learn more.
In a time of industry disruption, we’re building solutions to simplify the healthcare experience. Today with Spira Care we take another step on our journey to deliver patient-centered, quality care to better serve our members and the Kansas City community.
*Services received outside of the Care Center from providers in the BlueSelect Plus network will be subject to the plan deductible. After the deductible is met, services received from BlueSelect Plus providers are covered at 100 percent. Members will also have the nationwide coverage of the BlueCard network outside the 32-county Blue KC service area. Non-emergency services received from non-network providers will not be covered under the plan.