- Organizations to Collaborate on Innovative Care Quality Programs
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- UnitedHealthcare and Saint Luke’s Health System have announced a new network relationship giving UnitedHealthcare commercial and Medicare health plan customers access to care provided by Saint Luke’s Health System’s physicians and facilities beginning Sept. 1.
“UnitedHealthcare and Saint Luke’s Health System look forward to strengthening our shared commitment to deliver broad access to quality, affordable health care for our customers in the Kansas City area,” said William Tracy, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Heartland States. “Saint Luke’s is an important provider of health care services, and we know our customers will appreciate having new, local access to Saint Luke’s Health System’s outstanding service.”
“Saint Luke’s Health System is pleased to have reached a fair and mutually beneficial agreement with UnitedHealthcare,” said G. Richard Hastings, president and CEO of Saint Luke’s Health System. “By doing so, we are ensuring that more residents have access to the finest health care services in the region. We look forward to building on our relationship with UnitedHealthcare.”
As part of the new agreement, UnitedHealthcare, Saint Luke’s Health System and their physicians will collaborate on innovative programs designed to promote quality care including performance-based payments and the adoption of health information technology, such as making digital patient records accessible to improve the quality of care and patient safety while helping reduce administrative costs.
Saint Luke’s Health System is well known for its quality performance and leadership. Saint Luke’s Hospital, the health system’s flagship facility, was among the first hospitals in the country to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, serves more than 469,000 area residents with a health care provider network of more than 8,000 physicians and 159 hospitals.
About Saint Luke’s Health System
Saint Luke's Health System, consists of 11 area hospitals and several primary and specialty care practices, and provides a range of inpatient, outpatient, and home care services. Founded as a faith-based, not-for-profit organization, our mission includes a commitment to the highest levels of excellence in health care and the advancement of medical research and education. The health system is an aligned organization in which the physicians and hospitals assume responsibility for enhancing the physical, mental, and spiritual health of people in the metropolitan Kansas City area and the surrounding region. In 2008 the health system’s cardiology and gynecology programs were included in U.S. News & World Report’s top hospital listings. Saint Luke’s Hospital is a three-time winner of the Missouri Quality Award, and the health system received the award in 2007. For more information visit saintlukeshealthsystem.org
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services. The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of approximately 25 million individual consumers, contracting directly with more than 600,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals nationwide to offer them broad, convenient access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.
CONTACT:
UnitedHealthcare
Gregory A. Thompson, 312-424-6913
[email protected]
or
Saint Luke’s Health System
John Leifer, 816-932-1592
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America Kansas Minnesota
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Hospitals Professional Services Insurance
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