MaineHealth, Anthem launch Me.'s 1st commercial ACO
Portland-based MaineHealth and Anthem Blue Cross are collaborating to form the state's first commercial "accountable care organization," which both health care entities hope will cut costs and presage wider changes in how patients pay for health care.
The Bangor Daily News reported that the collaboration, which will open this year to between 50,000 and 60,000 MaineHealth patients, is modeled on an arrangement between Anthem and New Hampshire's Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, where the insurer says it has saved 3% on patient costs, saw an 18% drop in emergency room visits and a 14% decrease in inpatient hospital days.
Through the ACO structure, health care providers receive payment, in part, for keeping patients healthy and not just for providing specific treatments or services.
The New York Times reported in April that accountable care organizations are a growing trend, with nearly 428 accountable-care organizations now covering around four million Medicare enrollees and millions more covered by private insurance.
There are three other ACOs in Maine, including another run by MaineHealth, to serve patients covered by Medicare.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments