Nationally Ranked UC Davis Health Well-Placed To Answer Tough Health Questions
Move over taxes—there’s another routine obligation that can also yield myriad questions and much consternation. It’s “open enrollment,” the annual application period for choosing a health insurance plan, and sometimes a new health care provider as well.
Fortunately, the greater Sacramento region has a go-to option for peace of mind about these decisions—primary care services through UC Davis Medical Group. As part of the area’s only academic health system, UC Davis Health, the medical group and its primary care physicians offer patient-centered care, with unique access to the nationally ranked and locally recognized UC Davis services when needed.
For example, U.S. News & World Report ranked UC Davis Medical Center among the nation’s best hospitals in 11 adult medical specialties for 2017–18 and the Sacramento metropolitan area’s number-one hospital, highlighting its abilities to treat the most challenging conditions across a significant swath of the medical spectrum. UC Davis Children’s Hospital also ranked among the nation’s best in five pediatric specialties.
As one of “Health Care’s Most Wired Hospitals” for 2017, the medical center is also renowned for using information technology to complement both patient safety and quality of care. Advanced technologies directly enhance the diagnostic and treatment options available to UC Davis patients, and also help researchers to drive future insights and advances in health and wellness.
Patient-centered care
Of course our personal interaction with our doctor is at the core of the medical relationship, whether we’re being given a routine check-up or are recovering from an acute inpatient surgery. UC Davis Health researchers have studied this as well, finding that physicians who have more personalized discussions with patients—and encourage them to take a more active role in their own care—can help to lower medical costs and reduce the need for some services.
That’s one of the reasons all UC Davis Medical Group primary care clinics obtained the prestigious multiyear “Patient-Centered Medical Home” designation from the nonprofit National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).The contemporary “medical home” model uses a structured, teamwork-based approach to supporting patients’ needs and coordinating their care—allowing their personal doctor to spend more time listening.
UC Davis Medical Group physicians in turn strive to work closely with patients to understand their perspectives, answer their questions, address their concerns, and ease their anxieties. And as members of an academic institution, they’re also part of a larger team that works constantly to tackle new health issues and explore novel avenues of prevention and treatment. With both medical training and a healthy measure of curiosity, they’re available to discuss health trends and discuss with patients how they might achieve greater wellness.
Expanded convenience
To further personalize the doctor-patient relationship, UC Davis Medical Group offers primary care offices located throughout the Sacramento area, including Auburn, Carmichael, Davis, Elk Grove, Folsom, Natomas, Rancho Cordova, Rocklin, Roseville, and Sacramento. All of these offices are presently accepting new patients. Locations typically offer a choice of primary care physicians in fields such as family medicine, internal medicine, and/or pediatrics, plus periodic on-site visits with UC Davis Medical Center specialists in fields such as cardiology, endocrinology, and ob/gyn.
UC Davis Medical Group also accepts many major health plans, including HMOs and PPOs from Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Health Net, and United Healthcare. A list of accepted health plans and primary care offices across the region is available on the UC Davis Medical Group website.
As a “most wired hospital,” UC Davis Health also provides state-of-the-art communication conveniences such as the My Chart online health management portal. Free, secure, and confidential, MyChart can be used by patients to message their care team, request appointments, refill prescriptions, and view health records and test results, among other features. A recently launched “virtual clinic” urgent care option also offers 24/7 diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses via video or telephone.
A unique opportunity
Sometimes open enrollment can feel as annoying and intimidating as a persistent cough. But as unnerving as the medical plan sign-up period may seem, it’s really an opportunity to choose the optimal plan and physician for you and your family members. Signing up for UC Davis Health means expanding your access to first-rate care in a patient-centered, convenient setting.
With talented primary care physicians and renowned specialists in more than 150 areas of advanced medicine, the region’s only academic health system is prepared to answer your health questions and concerns—whatever they may be.
UC Davis Health accepts many major health plans, provides access to patient-centered primary care and world-class specialists, and offers locations across the greater Sacramento area.