New primary care access for UK-HMO Members who do not currently have a primary care provider

UK-HMO members who do not currently have a primary care provider will be able to choose a Concentra primary care provider. To qualify for this option, you must be a UK-HMO member who does not currently have a primary care provider.

Members who qualify to choose a Concentra provider for primary care must call to schedule appointments during weekday business hours – as is usual with primary care visits. Concentra’s regular primary care hours are Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• UK-HMO members who are sick and qualify to be seen at a Concentra clinic (what we call a non-elective visit) could be seen by any provider within their group.

• Concentra primary care patients do not need to schedule weekend visits – these will be walk-in visits.

• When seeking care on weekends or evenings, established Concentra primary care patients will be treated as such and charged a $10 (primary care) co-pay as opposed to $25 (urgent care) co-pay.

WINTER 2017

HEALTHBEATNEWS for MEMBERS of UK-HMO

Lexington: 1055 Dove Run, 859-269-4668 2424 Sir Barton Way, Suite 175, 859-233-4882 1498 Boardwalk, 859-254-5520

Nicholasville:

204 Bellaire Drive, 859-887-4882

UK-HMO is happy to announce that we are improving the availability of primary care appointments – starting with UK-HMO adult members who do not currently have a primary care provider.

Recently, we extended our contract with Concentra, the organization that provides urgent care services for UK-HMO members. Beginning Jan. 15, 2017, Concentra will also provide members 18 years old and above with primary care services in the following Concentra care centers:

• Concentra will provide basic X-ray and lab services as part of its primary care service. Any X-ray or lab services Concentra cannot provide must be obtained at a UK HealthCare radiology or lab facility. For UK Lab locations, visit ukhealthcare.uky.edu/laboratory. For UK Radiology locations, please follow the instructions provided to you by the scheduling provider.

UK-HMO has made this arrangement with Concentra to provide immediate support to our members who are finding it difficult to get a primary care appointment within a reasonable amount of time. At some point in the future, we hope to transition back to UK HealthCare as our sole provider of primary care services as they continue to increase ability to accommodate primary care patients.

UK-HMO members who already have a primary care provider will continue to see that UK provider. You have a primary care provider if you have been seen in one of these clinics within the past three years:

• UK Family & Community Medicine, UK HealthCare @ Turfland

• UK General Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine Group), University Health Service Building

• Center for the Advancement of Women’s Health, Kentucky Clinic

UK-HMO members who have a UK primary care provider but require urgent care on evenings and weekends will continue to have access to Concentra for urgent care as needed. Your urgent-care visits will require a $25 co-pay. We encourage you

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Please visit the UK-HMO website at www.mc.uky.edu/ukhmo to find answers to all of your UK-HMO health planquestions. The UK-HMO website provides access to all ofthe following information:

• Benefit information including your Certificate of Coverage (COC).

• A link to the UK-HMO Provider Directory online search, which allows you to locate participating providers.

• A link to Anthem, which allows you to view your claims and authorizations and access healthcare information.

• Frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding UK-HMO.

• Primary Care Access, which includes information about access to the Primary Care Practice options available at UK HealthCare.

• Information about and links to the other health services available at the University of Kentucky.

• UK-HMO current and past newsletters.

• UK-HMO pre-authorization lists.

• “In the News…” UK-HMO information updates

Please be sure to visit the UK-HMO website regularly forupdated information.

to seek a sick-visit appointment from your UK primary care provider if possible. Many of UK HealthCare’s primary care clinics hold time within their daily schedules for patients who need to be seen urgently.

For UK-HMO members who have a UK primary care provider, rest assured that UK HealthCare is working aggressively to recruit primary care providers, expand clinic space and hours, and improve the availability of primary care to UK-HMO plan members.

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To all of our UK-HMO family, we appreciate your selection of the UK-HMO plan and the feedback you have provided as to how we might improve the plan and better serve your health care needs. We are excited to offer this enhancement to your primary care options as of Jan. 15. If you have questions about this new primary care option or your UK-HMO coverage, please call 859-257-8251 or visit www.mc.uky.edu/uk-hmo.

Whether it’s a cold or the flu, getting sick is never fun. Wouldn’t it be better if you could avoid a cold or the flu in the first place? You can take simple steps to decrease your chances of getting sick.

PreventionWhile it’s nearly impossible to completely avoid cold or flu viruses, these steps can help:

• Clean shared surfaces. Wipe down items like telephones, keyboards, steering wheels and doorknobs often.

• Get the flu shot every year. It’s the best way to protect yourself from the flu.

• Avoid close contact with those who are sick. This will help to reduce the chance of getting infected and sick.

Washing your hands like a pro

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, handwashing is one of the most important ways to prevent the transmission of disease. Wash your hands after touching someone who is ill or after touching an object a sick person has touched. Also, remember to keep your hands away

from your eyes, nose and mouth unless you’ve washed your hands.

Here are some guidelines on how to most effectively wash your hands:

1. Use running water and soap to lather your hands and wrists. Scrub for at least 20 seconds.

2. Dry with a clean towel or air dry them.

3. Shut off the faucet using the paper towel so you don’t have to touch the handle.

4. Use a lotion or moisturizing cream to prevent cracks in the skin that can provide an entry point for germs and bacteria.

TreatmentYou can combat much of the discomfort from colds and flu with over-the-counter medications. However, be sure that you know what ingredients are in all the drugs you’re taking to avoid taking too much. Also, check with your doctor before taking any medication if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, on another prescription drug or being treated for an ongoing health condition. Remember that antibiotics aren’t effective in treating viral infections like a cold or the flu, although your doctor may prescribe them if you develop a secondary infection like sinusitis or pneumonia.

If your symptoms last longer than 12 days or your condition gets worse, call your doctor right away.

Remember to get your flu shot!The best way to protect yourself against the flu is to get vaccinated each year.

Vaccine experts now recommend that everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot. This is especially important if you live with or care for people at high risk for developing the flu, such as children younger than 5, those who are 50 years of age or older, and those with certain chronic medical conditions.

The flu shot is given with a needle and approved for people older than 6 months, including healthy people and those with chronic medical conditions.

Children younger than 6 months of age and those with severe, life-threatening allergies to the flu vaccine or any ingredient in the vaccine should not get the flu shot. You should talk to your doctor before getting the flu shot if you:

• Have an allergy to eggs or any of the ingredients in the vaccine.

• Have ever had Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).

• Are not feeling well. You should talk to your doctor about your symptoms.

Easy ways to stay healthier this winter

The new Shriners Hospitals for Children Medical Center — Lexington building on the UK HealthCare campus, which broke ground in March 2015, will open this spring.

In addition to Shriners, the building will be home to UK Pediatric Orthopaedics and will provide leased space for UK Ophthalmology (now renamed UK Advanced Eye Care).

Current locations of UK Advanced Eye Care along with the UK HealthCare Optical (formerly known as University Optical) will close March 17. They will reopen in the Shriners building on March 20.

Pediatric orthopaedics patients will be seen in the new Shriners facility beginning in late April. There will be a period of transition during which patients may be seen at either the current clinic within the Kentucky Clinic building or in the new Shriners space. During this transition, which

is expected to last four weeks, parents whose children have a pediatric orthopaedics appointment are encouraged to call 800-444-8314 (toll-free) in advance to confirm where they will be seen.

Inpatient care for pediatric orthopaedics patients will be provided at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

Members of UK health plans, including the UK-HMO and PPO/EPO options, will see no change in their co-pay/out-of-pocket charge with this move.

The new Shriners, which will be an outpatient surgical and rehabilitation center, was built on land that Shriners leased from UK. It remains a separate entity that is not owned or managed by UK.

UK Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine providers serve as the pediatric orthopaedic specialists for Shriners, an arrangement that has been in place since the 1970s.

The proximity of Shriners to Kentucky Children’s Hospital will facilitate collaboration of Shriners’ pediatric orthopaedic expertise and UK HealthCare’s specialty and subspecialty care for children with complex conditions.

Patients and families with appointments in the new facility will park in the UK HealthCare Parking Garage located just across Conn Terrace from Shriners. The building can be accessed via a pedestrian bridge at Level C of the garage.

Welcoming Shriners to the UK HealthCare campusUK Pediatric Orthopaedics and UK Advanced Eye Care also moving into new building

Saving money is good. Saving money on things that are good for you – that’s even better. With Anthem Special Offers, you can get discounts on products and services that may help promote better health and well-being. It’s just one of the perks of being a member.

Discounts are offered in a wide range of categories. In the vision and hearing category, for instance, members can get discounts on glasses and contact lenses, LASIK surgery, or hearing aids. Fitness and health discounts include weight loss and self-help programs. Health insurance for pets, discounts on allergy medicines and even discounts on fertility treatments are available.

For details of the discounts that are available to you, log in to anthem.com and select “Discounts.”

Save money with discounts at anthem.com

UK HealthCare @UK_HealthCare

Are you following the UK HealthCare HealthMatters blog online? It offers tons of great health and wellness information – and we’re constantly posting new entries. Subscribe at ukhealthcare.net/feed and you’ll never miss a post.

Also, be sure to sign up for the HealthMatters email newsletter, featuring the best of the blog, weekly health events and news, all delivered conveniently to your inbox once a week. Sign up at ukhealthcare.uky.edu/email.

Prefer to connect with us on social media? Follow us on Twitter @UK_HealthCare or on Facebook at facebook.com/UKHealthCare.

Don’t miss out!

University of KentuckyHealth Care Plans2333 Alumni Park Plaza, Suite 200Lexington KY 40517

Don’t forget to update your address when movingWhen you move, it is important that you fill out an updated health

benefits enrollment form with your new address and forward it to:University of KentuckyEmployee Benefits Office115 Scovell HallLexington KY 40506-0064The staff will forward the information to UK-HMO, and this will enable

us to ensure that you receive important information during the plan year. The health benefits enrollment form is available to you at www.uky.edu/HR/benefits/enrollmentforms.html. If you are moving outside the UK-HMO service area, you must notify the UK Employee Benefits office and make arrangements for health insurance coverage within 30 days of your move date. Otherwise, you may find yourself with an unnecessary lapse in health insurance coverage and at financial risk for all of your healthcare expenses.

You can also change your address by going to http://myUK.uky.edu and logging in using your Link Blue username and password. Choose your “Personal Information” and change your address. This will transfer this change of address information to the UK Benefits office and then on to Anthem.

If you move out of the area and need to change insurance plans, it is a good idea to contact the UK Benefits office at 859-257-9519, option 3 and option 1 to discuss this with them.

HealthBeat is published by the UK Health Care Plans office. The information is intended to educate members of UK-HMO about subjects pertinent to their health and health coverage, not as a substitute for consultation with a personal physician.

Writing, editing and design for HealthBeat provided by UK HealthCare Digital and Brand Strategy.

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Access UK-HMO website Please visit the UK-HMO website at www.mc.uky.edu/ukhmo to find answers to all of your UK-HMO health planquestions. The UK-HMO website provides access to all ofthe following information:

• Benefit information including your Certificate of Coverage (COC).

• A link to the UK-HMO Provider Directory online search, which allows you to locate participating providers.

• A link to Anthem, which allows you to view your claims and authorizations and access healthcare information.

• Frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding UK-HMO.

• Primary Care Access, which includes information about access to the Primary Care Practice options available at UK HealthCare.

• Information about and links to the other health services available at the University of Kentucky.

• UK-HMO current and past newsletters.

• UK-HMO pre-authorization lists.

• “In the News…” UK-HMO information updates

Please be sure to visit the UK-HMO website regularly forupdated information.