New Jersey State Health Benefits Program Plan Design Committee Establishes DPC Pilot Program as Model for Future of Healthcare Delivery

R-Health, a leader in innovative healthcare solutions, today announced the company has been awarded a contract to provide Direct Primary Care (DPC) services to members of the New Jersey State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) and School Employees’ Health Benefits Program (SEHBP) and their families. Read more on the program here.

The R-Health DPC program is a free enhanced benefit option for public sector employees and their family members who are enrolled in the SHBP and SEHBP health programs. R-Health DPC is launching with three initial practices in Haddonfield, NJ; Moorestown, NJ; and Washington Crossing, PA. The company has plans to add new practices across the state, with a new location opening in the Trenton area in early 2017.

R-Health DPC is focused on bringing the doctor-patient relationship back to the forefront, offering R-Health members the personal care they deserve. This membership-based approach to primary care turns the typical volume-based or current fee-for-service model on its head, offering members real relationships and accessibility to their own personal physician.

“In the state of New Jersey, we are facing out of control healthcare cost increases and we knew we had to take a hard look at the various ways we could fix this,” said Patrick Nowlan, Executive Director of Rutgers AAUP-AFT and Chair of the SHBP Plan Design Committee. “After much research, we realized a core component of cost savings – and better patient experience – was more proactive and relationship-based primary care.”

“NJEA is proud to have introduced this opportunity to the SEHBP Plan Design Committee because we recognize the overall benefits that a Direct Primary Care Medical Home Model can bring to thousands of public school employees,” said Wendell Steinhauer, New Jersey Education Association President and Design Committee Member. “Increasing quality care to members and their families as well as providing them with more information to make better quality healthcare decisions – while simultaneously reducing overall healthcare costs – is a win-win for all.”

“CWA is very excited to be at the start of this cutting edge healthcare pilot,” said Hetty Rosenstein, Area Director of CWA New Jersey. “We believe that primary care is the future of wellness and preventative medicine. This is a union-designed program that has healthcare outcomes as its goal.”

“With this pilot program established by the Plan Design Committee, we are providing access to DPC with no co-pay for any members, and their families, of the SHBP or SEHBP,” said Robert Little, Assistant to the Director at AFSCME Council I. “This means there will be no co-pays, deductibles, or other out of pocket costs to see a participating DPC physician.”

The DPC model is designed to give members unparalleled access to outstanding, relationship-based primary care. This includes same-day or next-day appointments, evening and weekend hours, little or no wait time in the waiting room, unhurried consultations with the doctor, and access to a personal physician via phone and digital messaging.

“We have all been frustrated by how hard it is to reach our doctor and how long we have to spend in the waiting room before we are seen,” said Mason Reiner, CEO of R-Health. “R-Health Direct Primary Care is designed to provide the convenient access to care that our members deserve.”