UNC Health teams with N.C. Blues for new practice

UNC Health Care, Chapel Hill, N.C., and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina announced they will jointly open a medical practice to care for about 5,000 patients with chronic conditions insured by the Blues plan.

The practice, slated to open in the fourth quarter of this year, aims to deliver exceptionally coordinated, high-quality care to patients with chronic conditions, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, obstructive lung disease, major depression and asthma. Care will be managed across settings and provider specialties, and the practice will be located in either Orange County or Durham County, N.C.

"We're in an era of change in healthcare, so let's work together to make positive change," said Dr. William Roper, CEO of UNC Health Care. "This innovative approach with education, patient support and self-management is one important step toward making healthcare less mysterious and more effective." In 2010, Roper was No. 98 on Modern Healthcare's list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare.

Laboratory and pharmacy services, mental-health care and nutrition counseling will be offered on-site. Case management, group visits, extended hours, advanced health informational technology and nontraditional patient visits, such as e-visits and home monitoring, also will be available.

According to the North Carolina Blues, the state's largest insurer, and UNC Health Care, a state-owned not-for-profit system, this is the first venture in a new and ongoing collaboration to enhance care quality, reduce costs and improve effectiveness and efficiency of care.