Baltimore-based
Bravo Health announced Monday that the first Bravo Health Advanced Care Center will open in Philadelphia in January 2010. The Center, an innovative, state-of-the-art outpatient physician practice designed to meet the health care needs of Bravo Health members, will be located in a new building being constructed at 1010 W. Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia.
Founded in 1996, Bravo Health provides Medicare beneficiaries access to high quality, cost-effective health care. With more than 300,000 members, Bravo Health offers Medicare Advantage health plans in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington, D.C. Additionally, the company offers Part D Prescription Drug Plans in 43 states.
An extension of the member's primary care provider (PCP), the Center is intended to complement the PCP's care in two ways. First, it will offer immediate care for patient's experiencing a non-emergent health condition when the PCP does not have an available appointment or it is after hours. It will also provide care and physician-directed case managment for patients with complex conditions requiring significant time commitments that the patients' PCPs can't meet.
"This new innovative model of care signifies Bravo Health's deep commitment to its members in the Philadelphia area," says Andrew Aronson, MD, Vice President of Physician Practice Operations for the Center. "Our goal in establishing the Center is consistent with the health care agenda across the country: to achieve better quality and value for patients through the appropriate and efficient delivery of care."
The Center will be staffed by board certified or board eligible physicians who will work hand-in-hand with the member's PCP to assure immediate and complex health needs are met in the most effective way. Bravo Health Pennsylvania serves more than 40,000 members in the Philadelphia area.
"The Bravo Health Advanced Care Center will change the way health care is delivered," said Jason Feuerman, Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Bravo Health Pennsylvania. "By assisting PCPs in closing some of the gaps to health care access, the Center is part of a well-planned continuum of health care delivery. The Center is a proactive, forward-thinking and responsive solution to our members' need for accessible, efficient health care."
There will be no co-pay, in accordance with the Bravo Health member's benefit plan, and no appointment will be necessary for immediate care services. Transportation arrangements will be available.
The company plans to open additional Centers in Bravo Health's markets. Plans are underway for another Center in West Philadelphia, as well as one in Baltimore, Maryland.
Source: Bravo Health
Writer: Walaika Haskins