Kaiser plans local office

July 31--Kaiser Permanente, the country's largest nonprofit health plan, announced Wednesday that it plans to open a medical office in Eugene by late 2015.

The office initially will have at least four primary care physicians, but Kaiser intends to grow that staff, its Northwest regional president, Andrew McCulloch, said.

"This is the first component of what we hope will be a long-term program of providing Kaiser Permanente (services) to the Eugene area," McCulloch said. How fast, and in what ways, the Kaiser office grows will depend on the community's response, he said.

Kaiser's medical offices are a bit different than many others, McCulloch said. They generally include a pharmacy and a lab.

"We're also considering whether to add a dental practice when we come to Eugene," he said.

Kaiser is looking for space -- "probably a minimum of 10,000 square feet" -- to buy or lease, McCulloch said.

The physicians will provide integrated care, including coordinating services through contracts with additional local providers and regional hospitals, Kaiser said in a statement. Members also will have access to Kaiser Permanente physicians and facilities throughout the Northwest, the health care provider said.

Health plans will be offered initially in Lane County to employers with more than 50 employees, said Mark Charpentier, vice president for marketing, sales and business development. Additional health insurance plans will follow, including for individual coverage, Medicare and small group, he said.

"We will want to serve Medicaid members in the Eugene-Springfield area as well," Charpentier said. "We will be working with regional leaders to determine how best to participate."

Charpentier said plans for the office came after employers with staff in the Eugene area asked Kaiser to come into the community.

McCulloch said a key motivator in the timing of Kaiser's entry into the Lane County market was one employer in particular: the University of Oregon.

"We provide health insurance to a large number of state employees," he said. "We asked to expand our service area to include Linn, Benton and Lane counties because of the University of Oregon and Oregon State University."

The request was denied by the Public Employees Benefits Board, which oversees the design and provision of benefits to state employees. But the board added that it would look favorably on Kaiser's request if Kaiser actually had facilities in those areas, McCulloch said.

"We're working on a Corvallis option as well," he said. "But since I'm a big Ducks fan, I wanted to go to Eugene first."

Unlike a lot of health care providers, Kaiser is "a care delivery system with an insurance plan," McCulloch said.

Lane County is a new area for Kaiser, which has previously served members from Portland to Salem. When Kaiser starts out in an area, McCulloch said, it starts small, providing primary care and contracting with other physicians and hospitals that share Kaiser's focus on preventive and coordinated care, he said.

"We've talked to a number of physicians as well as both hospitals, that was the first of our series of steps," McCulloch said. Next, he said, Kaiser will begin enrolling members, "which represents a long-term commitment on our part."

Kaiser may be starting small in Lane County with its search for a medical office, but "this is the first of what we hope will be a series of investments," McCulloch said.

Follow Ilene on Twitter @ialeshire . Email ilene.aleshire@registerguard.com .

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