Selecting a Medical Group

The Medical Group Difference

Not all medical groups are the same. Just as you would look at a nutrition label to select a product with the healthiest ingredients, you want to select a medical group that offers your family the best all-around combination of quality, satisfaction and value-added services.

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How to Choose Hill | Is an HMO for You? | Questions About Medical Groups

Why It’s Important to Choose Your Group

You may be thinking, “What difference does it make as long as I get the doctor I want?” Well, some medical groups are smaller and provide fewer choices in the number of primary care doctors or specialists in that group. Other groups vary in terms of case management support, administrative requirements or offering of value-added services. This can have an impact on your overall experience, particularly if you develop a chronic condition that requires referrals to multiple specialists, want to have easy access to self-help and educational materials or enjoy having discounts on things like yoga classes or massage sessions. So even though a doctor may belong to several groups, there are advantages to seeing him or her as a member of Hill Physicians Medical Group.

Be Proactive. Choose What’s Right for You

When you select a PCP on your Enrollment/Change Form there is an Identification Number next to your doctors' name. That number not only identifies the doctor, it indicates their Medical Group affiliation. If you don’t include the number in your election, your HMO may randomly assign you to a different group. That group may not offer the value-added services available to Hill Physicians Members.

Click here for detailed instructions on how to indicate Hill Physicians as your medical group on your enrollment form...

Is an HMO Right for You?

Hill Physicians works exclusively with HMO plans. We do this because we believe the HMO focus on preventive care and wellness provides clinical benefits to our patients, and that the limits on out-of-pocket expenses available from most HMOs offer real value to our members. So, how do you know if an HMO is right for you?

Click here to learn more about the HMO + Hill advantage...

Tips on How to Select or Change your Primary Care Physician

How to Enroll in Hill Physicians

Your Health. It’s Our Mission

Since 1984 Hill Physicians’ mission has been focused on you through:

Adherence to the highest medical standards
Personalized, timely access
Comprehensive coordinated care
Accountable structure
Wellness and illness prevention services
Affordable, efficient care and services
Alternative healthcare options

This is what drives Hill Physicians: Your health. It's our Mission.

Hill Physicians’ Awards & Recognition

The advantages of Being a Hill Physicians Member

Questions to Ask About a Medical Group

Q: Will I have a broad range of physicians and other providers from which to choose?

A. With Hill Physicians, you have access to more than 3,000 independent physicians and other healthcare providers, including 800 primary care physicians (PCPs) and more than 2,000 specialists across more than 100 specialties. Use our Physician Directory to find your physician.

Q. Does the medical group contract with the health plans available to me?

A. Hill Physicians works with the leading HMO health plans in northern California. Check our list of Health Plans.

Q. What does the group do to help to ensure the ongoing quality of care among its physicians?

A. Hill Physicians is dedicated to the health of our members. We continually monitor our clinical results, both for the individual physicians and across the medical group. And, we provide our physicians with data on their performance to ensure continual improvement at the individual practice level.

Q. How do the medical groups compare in terms of clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction?

A. In terms of clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction, Hill Physicians is consistently rated among the best of California’s 200 medical groups by the California Office of the Patient Advocate. In 2005, we were ranked among the top five percent of all California medical groups by the Integrated Healthcare Association.

Q. Which hospitals do the physicians in the medical group use?

A. Hill Physicians members have access to many of the best hospitals in their communities.

Q. How easy is the referral process to a specialist or other healthcare professional? Can I self-refer?

A. With Hill Physicians, your primary care physician can refer you to a specialist without waiting for prior authorization from our administrative offices.
For vision, mental health and OB/GYN services, you can self-refer from our network.

Q. What does the medical group do to encourage preventive health and wellness?

A. Hill Physicians is one of the industry leaders in preventive medicine through our preventive screenings and clinical quality measurements.

Hill Physicians helps you proactively manage and improve the health of you and your family through its industry-leading health education classes and programs

Q. Does your Medical Group offer alternative medicine, health education or wellness management services?

A. we offer a full range of healthcare resources and alternative medicine programs, including hypnosis, biofeedback, nutrition and massage therapy. For those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, we offer services such as individualized case management and peer support.

Q. What kind of online tools does your Medical Group offer?

A. Our online health resources are here for you and your family 24/7 with Online Health Centers for many conditions, a comprehensive Health Library, Health Multimedia informational audio and video podcasts and a regularly reviewed health information portal on conditions from A-Z.

Q. Does your medical group offer emailing, online prescription refills, Electronic Health Records and other online solutions for your doctor?

A. Eliminating claim forms, prescription refill and other paperwork through online services makes your interactions with your doctor more efficient and even safer. Hill Physicians offers a whole suite of eSolutions you can read more about here…

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