Health Care: Western Plains looks for land health care

The rumor’s running rampant — Western Plains Health Network is looking for land in Windsor suitable for a new medical facility. But Executive Director Doug Vang says that although Western Plains has for some time considered building something somewhere along the Interstate 25 corridor, it has done nothing definitive in terms of a land purchase and has no immediate plans to expand.

“An expansion will happen along I-25 if it happens anywhere,” Vang said.

Western Plains, part of Lutheran Health Systems, currently includes North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, McKee Medical Center in Loveland, Sterling Regional MedCenter and East Morgan County Hospital in Brush.

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Empowering communities

Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP), part of the UnitedHealthcare family, has pledged its commitment to uplift these communities through substantial investments in organizations addressing the distinct needs of our communities.

The network also affiliates with Melissa Memorial Hospital in Holyoke, Wray Community District Hospital and Yuma District Hospital, as well as several home- and community-care agencies, medical-equipment suppliers, hospice services and medical clinics in northeastern Colorado.

For some time, the network’s strategic focus has been on developing relationships with regional medical clinics, said Gene Haffner, spokesman for Western Plains and NCMC. Now the focus is on expansion, which will likely entail construction of a new facility at some point.

Vang made it clear, however, that plans for the network’s growth have not accelerated in light of Poudre Valley Health System’s recent land purchase in Windsor.

GMC and PacifiCare at impasse

GREELEY — Despite a recent contract agreement between Millennial and PacifiCare of Colorado, Greeley Medical Clinic, one of eight physician groups in Colorado that comprise the Millennial alliance, declined the contract forcing its PacifiCare patients to switch coverage or switch doctors.

“We are at an impasse with PacifiCare,´ said Barbara Yosses, executive director of Greeley Medical Clinic. “We opted out of our contract with PacifiCare last September, because neither side liked it. The one Millennial negotiated wasn’t better for GMC, so we chose not to go along with that agreement either and have been trying to reach one on our own.”

In the absence of a contract, the clinic’s 43 providers no longer see PacifiCare patients. Some patients have changed doctors, but many are changing plans in order to keep their doctors, Yosses said.

“The patients have been really good about this, but it’s important to us to reach an agreement with PacifiCare from the standpoint of continuity of patient care,” she said.

PacifiCare has 3,800 members with the clinic, and company officials are disappointed that they were unable to reach an agreement, said Dr. Michael Paddack, regional medical director for PacifiCare.

“It’s our smallest group up here, but that doesn’t make it any less painful to lose those members,” Paddack said, adding that it doesn’t look likely that the two will reach an agreement before the end of the year.

PacifiCare still contracts with nearly 150 Greeley physicians, Paddack said.

GMC will participate in Millennial’s contract with Rocky Mountain HMO.

Medical cyber-zip first of its kind

Medical professionals have made a name for themselves in cyberspace. Joining the ranks of .com, .net, .org and .edu, .md will serve as the new Internet address for individuals and organizations in the health care field.

The designation is the first business-specific Internet address. Domain Name Trust Inc. of Florida has acquired world rights to the cyber-zip, and company president John D. Harris said that while physicians are the most obvious users of .md, the company anticipates a broad ripple effect through medical-related fields.

The cost of an exclusive .md address is $299 per year.