Arizona Care Network and UnitedHealthcare are launching an accountable
care organization (ACO) to improve care quality and reduce costs for
nearly 15,000 Phoenix-area residents enrolled in UnitedHealthcare’s
employer-sponsored health plans.
Arizona Care Network, formed through collaboration among Dignity Health,
Abrazo Health and other local care providers, is a physician-led and
-governed clinically integrated network of more than 2,300 physicians,
nine hospitals and numerous health care partners statewide. This care
provider network uses innovative technology and programs to improve
overall health care delivery and quality by reducing duplicative or
unnecessary health care costs.
The new ACO, which launched May 1, will help shift Arizona’s health care
system from one based on volume of care to one that rewards quality and
value. Arizona Care Network and its affiliated physicians will manage
all aspects of patients’ care, providing the right care in the right
place at the right time.
The ACO collaboration will help Arizona Care Network’s primary care
physicians, hospitals and home health care providers improve transitions
of care for patients and facilitate better communication with all who
are involved in a patient’s treatment. Primary care physicians in the
ACO will receive regular patient updates, enabling them to monitor all
of the care each patient is receiving, and to maintain all clinical
information about each patient in a secure patient registry.
“We look forward to working with Arizona Care Network to bring this
distinctive care model that improves quality and reduces costs to
UnitedHealthcare plan participants in Phoenix,” said Beth Soberg,
president and CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Arizona. “UnitedHealthcare’s new
partnership with Arizona Care Network is the latest example of how we
are working closely with the care provider community to enhance the way
care is delivered to patients.”
UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored plan participants who are currently
served by the participating care providers will not have to do anything
differently to receive the benefits of this new ACO, which include
enhanced care coordination and follow-up.
“We are excited to offer UnitedHealthcare customers Arizona Care
Network’s comprehensive physician resources and personalized health
care,” said Mark Hillard, CEO, Arizona Care Network. “This partnership
continues the longstanding relationship of UnitedHealthcare with both
Dignity Health and Abrazo Health, and enhances our ability to serve our
community’s unique health care needs.”
Arizona Care Network coordinates evidence-based care, ensuring that the
primary care physicians, specialists and facilities are aligned with the
Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI’s) “Triple Aim” objective:
increase patient satisfaction, improve the health of the population and
reduce the cost of health care.
This is UnitedHealthcare’s second ACO in Arizona. Last year, the company
launched an ACO with Arizona Connected Care, providing this innovative
model to Tucson residents enrolled in UnitedHealthcare’s
employer-sponsored health plans. UnitedHealthcare serves 1.6 million
people in Arizona with a care provider network of 78 hospitals and more
than 14,000 physicians statewide.
Nationwide, more than $30 billion of UnitedHealthcare’s annual physician
and hospital reimbursements are tied to accountable care programs,
centers of excellence and performance-based programs. The company
projects this will reach $65 billion by 2018. For more information about
UnitedHealthcare’s accountable care initiatives, visit www.AccountableCareAnswers.com.
About Arizona Care Network
Arizona
Care Network (ACN) is a physician-led, physician-governed accountable
care organization and clinically integrated network that fosters
collaboration and improved quality through shared resources, advanced
technology and clinical best practices that align with emerging models
of care delivery. ACN represents collaboration between Dignity Health
and Abrazo Health, two market-leading organizations providing healthcare
in Arizona.
Arizona Care Network increases access to high quality care through
communication and technology, thus improving health outcomes and
providing a superior patient experience. Composed of more than 2,300
physicians, nine acute care hospitals and more than half of all
recognized Patient Centered Medical Home models in Arizona, ACN is
shaping the future of health care through its progressive models of care
delivery.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare
is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit
programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid
beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 800,000 physicians
and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care
facilities nationwide. Globally, UnitedHealthcare serves more than 45 million
people in health benefits and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth
Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being
company.
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