CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) and Novant Health, Inc. have reached an innovative agreement that emphasizes their ongoing commitment to improving the quality and containing the overall costs of health care.

“When a health system and insurer work together on solutions to control costs while providing access to high quality care, everybody wins. When we sit down with providers in our communities to review contracts, this is our goal,” said Brad Wilson, BCBSNC president and CEO.

 “Novant Health has demonstrated its commitment and willingness from the beginning of our discussions to focus on the value of care, ensuring BCBSNC customers get more for their health care dollar. These are the types of actions needed to move our health care system forward, and they are leading by example,” Wilson said.

Inefficient care across the country is estimated to cost patients up to $45 billion a year[1]. In fact, nearly half of patients said they didn’t have access to medical information that was essential to their care[2]. The arrangement with Novant Heath is value-based, which means BCBSNC rewards doctors and hospitals for the quality, satisfaction and outcomes of caring for patients, rather than simply paying for the volume of tests or services. Novant Health and BCBSNC will work together to prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions and share relevant clinical data with doctors and patients to help them make more informed health care decisions.

“As an integrated system of physician practices, hospitals, and outpatient centers, Novant Health is committed to delivering a remarkable health care experience to patients and their families while increasing value for all of our customers,” said Bob Seehausen, Novant Health SVP of business development and sales. “This cooperative arrangement with BCBSNC further extends that commitment and includes enhanced data sharing and mutual accountabilities, which allows both organizations to fully align on the key principles of patient-focused, value-based care.”

This is not the first collaboration between the two organizations focused on addressing cost and quality issues in health care. In April 2015, BCBSNC and Novant Health teamed up to launch a new bundled payment arrangement to reduce costs and improve quality for patients seeking total knee replacements.

Bundled payment agreements allow doctors and hospitals to work collaboratively to deliver higher quality, evidence-based care to reduce complications and readmissions, according to studies by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Overall, participating BCBSNC customers are expected to save 10 to 30 percent on the cost of a knee replacement.[3]

About BCBSNC:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina improves the health and well-being of our customers and communities by providing innovative health care products, services and information to more than 3.91 million members, including approximately 1 million served on behalf of other Blue Plans. Since 1933, we have worked to make North Carolina a better place to live through our support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health. We have been recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute every year since 2012. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit BCBSNC online at bcbsnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

About Novant Health:
Novant Health is a four-state integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals that delivers a seamless and convenient healthcare experience to our communities. The Novant Health network consists of more than 1,200 physicians and 25,000 team members who make healthcare remarkable at nearly 500 locations, including 13 medical centers and hundreds of outpatient facilities and physician clinics. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Novant Health is committed to making healthcare remarkable for patients and communities, serving more than 4 million patients annually. In 2014, Novant Health provided more than $639 million in community benefit, including charity care and services. Novant Health is ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 integrated delivery networks by IMS Health.

 

 

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[1] Health Affairs, 2012. Accessed February 2015.

[2] Institute of Medicine, 2013. Accessed February 2015.

[3] BCBSNC Internal Data, 2014