By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
HealthCare Partners and Cigna Start Accountable Care Program in Southern California to Improve Health Outcomes and Lower Costs
- Consumers benefit from improved care coordination and greater emphasis on preventive care
- Doctors are rewarded for improving patient health and lowering medical costs
- Program includes a HealthCare Partners care coordination team including a registered nurse care manager aligned to Cigna case managers
BLOOMFIELD, Conn. & TORRANCE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Cigna (NYS: CI) and HealthCare Partners Medical Group in Southern California have launched a collaborative accountable care initiative to improve patient access to healthcare, enhance care coordination, and achieve the “triple aim” of improved health, affordability and patient experience. The program became effective April 1.
Collaborative accountable care is Cigna’s approach to accomplishing the same population health goals as accountable care organizations, or ACOs. The program could benefit as many as 10,000 individuals covered by a Cigna health plan who receive care from among some 1,200 HealthCare Partners primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. HealthCare Partners medical clinics and primary and specialty care affiliated physicians are located in the Greater Los Angeles Metro area including the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley, South Bay, Long Beach and Orange County.
“HealthCare Partners works every day to improve patient health, and Cigna’s focus on prevention and improving health care quality makes them a strong organization for us to work with to achieve the ‘triple aim,'” said Tom Paulsen, M.D., executive medical director, HealthCare Partners Medical Group. “HealthCare Partners applies best practices in patient care and has continued to improve clinical quality metrics for patients seen by our employed and independently affiliated physicians while bending the cost curve.”
Under the program, patients continue to go to their current physician and care team and benefit from preventive care programs and disease management programs. HealthCare Partners monitors and coordinates all aspects of a patient’s medical care. Patients most likely to see immediate benefits from the program are those actively engaged with their care teams and those who need help managing chronic conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.
Critical to the program’s benefits is HealthCare Partners’ coordinated care model supported by a wide array of resources. The HealthCare Partners care management team is aligned to …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
