Humana Insurance Unveils A New Brand Identity: Unpacking The Name Change And What It Means For Policyholders

Humana Inc. has undergone a rebranding, changing the name of its health services business to CenterWell. The new name reflects the company's expansion into primary care, pharmacy, and in-home care services. The transition to CenterWell is a significant step towards integrating home health operations into the company's offerings and simplifying its organisational structure. The company plans to shift more healthcare services under the CenterWell brand over the next one to two years.

Humana rebrands health services as CenterWell

In 2021, Humana Inc., a health insurance giant, announced that it would be rebranding its payer-agnostic healthcare services business as CenterWell. This included rebranding its primary care and pharmacy units, which were previously known as "Partners in Primary Care" and "Family Physicians Group". The first service line to adopt the new brand was 65 Medicare primary care clinics, which began operating under the new name "CenterWell Senior Primary Care" in April 2021.

The decision to rebrand came as a result of Humana's expansion of its primary care, pharmacy, and in-home care services. The company planned to shift more healthcare services under the CenterWell brand over the next one to two years, with the goal of better aligning its disparate groups and bringing them under one brand.

In 2022, Humana completed the second phase of transitioning Kindred at Home, a home healthcare division it acquired in 2021, to the CenterWell brand in 14 additional states. This brought the total number of states where Kindred had made or begun the switch to 21. The final phase of the rebrand was completed in September 2022, resulting in CenterWell Home Health treating patients from more than 350 locations in 38 states.

The introduction of CenterWell Home Health was part of a larger effort by Humana to unite its three main healthcare service offerings – home health, senior primary care, and pharmacy – under a single brand. CenterWell services are open to members of a variety of health plans, not just those offered by Humana.

Humana's Kindred at Home division rebranded

In 2021, Humana Inc. announced that it would be rebranding its health services business to CenterWell. This included its Partners in Primary Care and Family Physicians Group, with senior-focused primary care service facilities being the first to make the move. The Kindred at Home division was also rebranded as CenterWell Home Health, which is now the official name for the 350-plus locations serving 38 states. This was part of a three-phase rebranding initiative.

The Humana President and CEO, Bruce D. Broussard, stated that the new brand reflected the fact that their care-services businesses were growing and maturing, and that they needed a brand that emphasised their patient-centric approach. The CenterWell business model operates on value-based contracts, with centres that offer a primary care physician who develops and coordinates a care plan for patients.

The introduction of CenterWell Home Health was part of a larger effort to unite Humana's three main healthcare service offerings – home health, senior primary care, and pharmacy – under a single brand. Humana also stated that it was working to close gaps in care to help improve health outcomes and lower costs. CenterWell services are open to members of a variety of health plans, not just those offered by Humana.

In addition to the Kindred at Home division, Humana also rebranded its pharmacy operations as CenterWell Pharmacy and CenterWell Specialty Pharmacy in June 2024. The company also announced that it would be restructuring into two main units: Insurance Services and CenterWell. This move was intended to simplify its organisational structure and encourage collaboration.

CenterWell's business model

CenterWell Senior Primary Care is a network of one-stop doctor's offices that offer complete care for Medicare and Medicare Advantage patients, with a focus on senior primary care. CenterWell is committed to providing personalized, dignified, and integrated healthcare. Its unique business model, care team approach, and adaptability have made it the largest senior-focused healthcare network in the country.

CenterWell's care model revolves around the idea of putting seniors and their needs at the center of everything they do. Each CenterWell location is designed to meet the unique needs of older patients, with special exam rooms, longer appointments, shorter wait times, easy access to specialists, and critical on-site services such as pharmacies. CenterWell also addresses the social and emotional needs of seniors, offering on-site activity centers that provide opportunities for social and physical engagement, which are crucial for healthy aging.

A key aspect of CenterWell's business model is its care team approach, which includes doctors, care coaches, behavioral health specialists, clinical pharmacists, and other professionals. This team-based approach ensures that doctors are supported not only by nurses and administrators but also by in-house pharmacists, social workers, and behavioral health specialists. This allows doctors to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time with each patient, with appointments lasting up to 40 minutes.

CenterWell has adapted to the changing healthcare landscape and evolving consumer needs. During the pandemic, they offered telehealth appointments and curbside visits to seniors, understanding the risks and challenges faced by this vulnerable population. They also addressed the issue of social isolation and its impact on mental health, regularly checking in with patients to monitor their well-being.

Another important feature of CenterWell's business model is its shift from the traditional fee-for-service payment model to a value-based payment model. CenterWell's compensation is tied to patient outcomes rather than the number of procedures or patients seen. This approach aligns with the industry's move towards holistic healthcare, where all of a patient's needs are assessed and addressed, improving patient care and health outcomes while lowering costs.

Humana's two main units

In July 2024, Humana announced that it would be simplifying its organisational structure by paring itself down into two main units: Insurance Services and CenterWell. Executives at the company stated that this change would encourage collaboration and accelerate the work being done to centralise and integrate operations.

The Insurance Services unit will comprise what is currently the retail, group, and specialty segments, while CenterWell will encompass healthcare services. The Insurance Services unit will include the company's existing insurance business, while CenterWell will include the company's healthcare services business, including its Partners in Primary Care and Family Physicians Group. CenterWell will also include the company's home health division, Kindred at Home, which was rebranded as CenterWell Home Health in 2023.

The separation into two distinct units is intended to provide a clear focus for each division, with Insurance Services focusing on insurance products and services, and CenterWell concentrating on providing healthcare services to patients. This structure is designed to promote efficiency and effectiveness in the company's operations and enable each unit to better serve its respective customers and clients.

The reorganisation follows other strategic changes made by Humana in recent years. In April 2021, the company signed an agreement to divest a majority interest in its Kindred at Home subsidiary, KAH Hospice, to a private investment firm. Additionally, in 2021, Humana introduced CenterWell Senior Primary Care as the brand for its group of senior-focused primary care centres across the United States.

Humana's expansion plans

Humana Inc. has been expanding its business through its subsidiary companies and by increasing its market footprint. The company has been focusing on senior-focused primary care and home health services.

In 2020, Humana expanded its New Jersey market footprint by offering Medicare Advantage plans in four additional counties: Essex, Monmouth, Union, and Atlantic. This expansion brought Humana's total sales footprint to 17 counties, or 80% of New Jersey.

In 2023, Humana's subsidiary, Partners in Primary Care, announced a three-year expansion plan to bring online 20 additional care facilities in the first year. This included the opening of eight primary care facilities in Las Vegas and two new facilities in the Shreveport-Bossier City area. Partners in Primary Care currently operates in eight states and provides personalized care plans to over 35,000 seniors.

Humana has also been expanding its primary care business, CenterWell (formerly known as Kindred at Home), which is the largest senior-focused primary care provider in the country. CenterWell encompasses close to 300 clinics that care for about 295,000 seniors. In 2024, CenterWell announced plans to open centers in three new metro areas: Asheville, North Carolina; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and New Orleans. They also plan to add further locations across eight municipalities and aim to open between 30 and 50 new locations each year through 2025.

In addition to its expansion through CenterWell and Partners in Primary Care, Humana has been working to integrate its three main healthcare service offerings – home health, senior primary care, and pharmacy – under the CenterWell brand. This integration is part of Humana's efforts to close gaps in care, improve health outcomes, and lower costs. The company has been transitioning its organizational structure to encourage collaboration and accelerate the centralization and integration of its operations.

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