Affinity Health System and UnitedHealthcare sign new multi-year network agreement expanding local access to quality health care
Effective January 1, 2011, Affinity’s latest move in marketplace offers patients even more choice and access
12 / 02 / 2010
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Maria Nelson, Media Relations
Affinity Health System
(920) 720-1752
(920) 554-0686 (pager)
MENASHA, Wis. - Affinity Health System (Affinity) announced today a new agreement with UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin (United) allowing United members to access care from the award-winning health system at in-network rates and benefit levels. Affinity now accepts nearly every insurance carrier.
Effective Jan. 1, 2011, the new multi-year agreement adds more than 260 Affinity Medical Group providers and access to comprehensive services at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Mercy Medical Center, Calumet Medical Center and 26 clinics located throughout Northeast Wisconsin to United’s network. This means that those individuals with UnitedHealthcare now can choose the Affinity provider or hospital they prefer.
"This agreement creates greater accessibility to personalized care at Affinity Health System," said Daniel E. Neufelder, CEO of Affinity Health System. "We listened to what the community told us and we knew that to best serve them we had to eliminate the insurance barriers that kept people from seeing the doctors they wanted at the location of their choice. Now members of nearly every major carrier in the state will be able to come to our hospitals and clinics to be cared for by our world-class providers. On behalf of our providers and everyone at Affinity, we look forward to welcoming patients to Affinity to experience personalized care."
"Our new network relationship with Affinity Health System gives our customers greater access to high-quality medical facilities and skilled physicians closer to where they live and work," said Wendy Arnone, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin. "Affinity Health System is an important provider of health care services in this area. We believe this agreement strengthens our shared commitment to deliver broader access to quality, affordable health care for consumers."
UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, serves more than 1 million Wisconsin residents with a health care provider network statewide of more than 12,000 physicians and 127 hospitals.
This agreement complements Affinity’s long-term strategy of opening access to Affinity Medical Group and other providers. Last year Affinity signed a contract with Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield allowing Anthem members to access Affinity’s hospitals and providers. Earlier this year, Affinity’s health insurance company, Network Health Plan, signed a contract with ThedaCare, giving Network Health Plan members access to ThedaCare providers and services. This agreement with United creates new opportunity for the community to access Affinity Health System.
Widely recognized for its commitment to excellence, Affinity Health System is nationally listed among the top integrated health care systems by SDI Health Integrated Health Network Top 100, and both Mercy Medical Center and St. Elizabeth Hospital were ranked in the top one percent of all hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency as determined by the 2007 Premier|CareScience Select Practice National Quality Award.
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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a faith-based regional health care network, is the Fox Valley’s second-largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry. For the fourth consecutive year, Affinity has been named one of the nation’s top 64 health systems based on clinical performance according to Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care. For ten consecutive years, Affinity Health System has been named to the SDI (formerly Verispan) Integrated Health Network Top 100, an annual assessment of the 100 most highly integrated health care networks in the nation. Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent of hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Network Health Plan has achieved Excellent accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest possible level. It has been nationally ranked in the Top 50 Health Insurance Plans for five consecutive years in the U.S. News and World Report/NCQA Best Health Plans in America listing. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 26 family practice and specialty clinics – 23 of which are recognized as NCQA Level III medical homes, the highest level of recognition – in 14 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; Network Health Plan, Menasha; and Affinity Occupational Health.