HMOs on the examining table

Northern Colorado trails larger areas in acceptance of managed care, but several factors are changing that

Northern Colorado has jumped at breakneck speed into the HMO revolution.
Health-maintenance organizations, the ultimate in managed care, have targeted Larimer and Weld counties for expansion, hoping to capitalize on a burgeoning population and an increased desire by employers to hold down health-care costs.
“I think there’s definitely a movement of more interest and intent of HMOs to get into the Weld County and Larimer County areas,´ said James Humphrey, executive director of NorthCare, a provider-sponsored preferred provider organization based in Greeley. NorthCare offers care from 400 physicians and 13 hospitals in northern and eastern Colorado.
Humphrey said managed care — which reduces health-care costs by negotiating volume discounts with doctors, hospitals and specialists — has not been prevalent in Northern Colorado. But such trends normally travel from large metropolitan areas such as Denver to more rural areas, he said.
That’s what’s happening now. At least two new HMOs are being formed to serve the Northern Colorado market, and others are expanding here from the Denver area.
Here’s what’s happening:
n HSI Health Plans Inc. of Fort Collins is launching HealthLink HMO, which could serve 19,500 members in Northern Colorado within three years.
n Colorado Access begins operating Dec. 1 and will serve Medicaid patients of 20 Front Range community health clinics, including the Sunrise Community Health Center in Greeley.