Humana Network Includes St. Joseph’s, West Bend Clinic
West Bend, WI, (July 15, 2009) – Employees who live in West Bend and Washington County will be able to access healthcare services at a lower cost close to home now that St. Joseph’s Hospital and West Bend Clinic have been added to the Humana High Performance Network (HPN).
The high performance provider network is available to members of the Business Health Care Group (BHCG). The collective includes more than 800 employers and employer groups in an 11-county region.
The inclusion of St. Joseph’s Hospital and West Bend Clinic in the Humana HPN as of January 1, 2009, was made possible by the affiliation of the hospital and clinic with Froedtert & Community Health in July 2008.
According to Ron Nakamura, MBA, RHIA, director of managed care contracting for Froedtert & Community Health, the inclusion of St. Joseph’s Hospital and West Bend Clinic under the Froedtert & Community Health contract provides another option for area employees to receive their care close to home at their own providers at a reduced cost. They will also have the same benefits at system facilities including Froedtert Hospital and Community Memorial Hospital.
“Area employers now know their employees can come to St. Joseph’s Hospital and West Bend Clinic at a more affordable cost. We are pleased we can now offer better access to local healthcare services,” said Nakamura. “And with open enrollment for benefit plans coming up in the fall, now is a good time to starting thinking about switching to a plan that includes St Joseph’s Hospital and West Bend Clinic.”
The BHCG was formed in January 2003 to explore alternatives to contain healthcare costs in the region through consumer-driven efforts. Its members include large and small employers representing more than 165,000 healthcare consumers in Southeast Wisconsin.
Some of the larger employer members of BHCG include Briggs and Stratton Corporation, Marshall & Ilsley Corporation and Miller Brewing Corporation.
