Nextera Healthcare, DigitalGlobe case study highlights health benefits, cost savings of direct primary care. Double-digit reduction in costs leads to company-wide DPC implementation for 2017

Longmont, Colorado (Nov. 17, 2016) – Colorado-based DigitalGlobe, a self-insured provider of high-resolution Earth imagery products and services, partnered with Nextera Healthcare, Colorado’s first direct primary care (DPC) provider, to evaluate the effectiveness of DPC membership for employees and their dependents. The seven-month case study revealed improved health outcomes, enhanced patient satisfaction and reduced health care costs, including a 25.4 percent reduction in claims costs and a 4.7 percent reduction in risk scores for members who participated.

The Nextera Healthcare/DigitalGlobe case study ran from June 1 – Dec. 31, 2015. Of its 971 employees in Colorado, DigitalGlobe enrolled 205 employees and dependents. The company covered 100 percent of participants’ fixed per-person, per-month DPC membership costs.

DPC gives patients greater access to primary care physicians so they can be proactive about preventive health care, quickly and conveniently address illnesses and minor injuries, and better manage chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. DPC does not replace health insurance. Rather, it is typically paired with a plan that provides financial protection against catastrophic, unplanned illnesses requiring hospital-based care.

In addition to unrestricted access to wellness and primary care services, case study participants received discounted rates for certain specialist visits; diagnostic laboratory and X-ray services; integrative therapies like acupuncture, psychotherapy and chiropractic care; and weight loss programs.

“The case study was an effort to seek solutions to the health-related challenges confronting our employees,” said Grover Wray, senior vice president and chief human resources officer for DigitalGlobe. “It allowed us to evaluate a new care model that combats the inefficiencies and inflexibility of a health system that requires face-to-face interaction with health care professionals despite a shortage of family and primary care doctors.”

Nextera Healthcare established and staffed a clinic at the DigitalGlobe facility in Westminster, Colorado to provide onsite care and treatment. Employees and dependents also were able to see providers at Nextera Healthcare affiliate offices in Boulder, Frederick and Longmont. Next-day appointments and 24-hour access to providers via phone, email and text messaging furthered the DPC commitment to providing convenient, personalized care and attention. Eighty-nine percent of employees reported via a post-study survey that they received flexible, timely appointments and follow-up visits.

“DigitalGlobe is the first client we took on that had more than one campus, and it was a success,” explained Clint Flanagan, MD, founder and CEO of Nextera Healthcare. “Through relationships with affiliate providers, we can efficiently expand our footprint to ensure patient members receive the same superior care regardless of the Nextera Healthcare office or provider they see.”

Results from the study, which were compiled and critiqued by the independent benefits insurance broker HUB International using its robust analytics platform, highlight numerous benefits of DPC as an employer-based health care benefit.

“Employees developed closer relationships with their providers, and many were emboldened to focus on overcoming personal health challenges like stress, weight loss and sleeplessness,” said Douglas Canham, MD, director of affiliate relations for Nextera Healthcare. “There was also a significant reduction in spur-of-the-moment emergency room and urgent care visits.”

Based on study results, DigitalGlobe will offer DPC through Nextera Healthcare to all of its 1,233 employees and their dependents nationwide beginning Jan. 1, 2017. Employees can select Nextera Healthcare membership during the company’s open enrollment period, which runs through Nov. 15, 2016. Since Nextera Healthcare is not a traditional insurance plan, employees and dependents can also enroll in the benefit plan throughout the year.

To serve DigitalGlobe member patients in Florida and the greater Washington, DC area, Nextera Healthcare added affiliate offices in the Miami area, Tampa and Herndon, Virginia.

Nextera Healthcare monthly membership is $99 for adults 18 – 65; $79 per additional adult; and $49 per child. Children must be enrolled in a plan with at least one adult. There is a one-time registration fee of $29 per person.

To learn more about Nextera Healthcare/DigitalGlobe case study or to inquire about employer DPC membership plans, call (303) 501-2600.