Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Hartford HealthCare Reach Agreement
<0> Anthem Blue Cross and Blue ShieldSarah Yeager, 203-859-0996orHartford HealthCareRebecca Stewart, 860-972-4285 </0>
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Hartford HealthCare (HHC) announced today that they have reached a multi-year agreement on the renewal of their contract. As a result, HHC’s acute care hospitals will rejoin Anthem’s networks as a participating provider effective October 1, the day the contracts were set to expire. Covered services provided by HHC to Anthem members will remain in-network without interruption.
Under the new agreement, Hartford HealthCare and Anthem will broaden their existing accountable care arrangement, currently covering over 40,000 Anthem members, to include specialists and hospitals, creating a tighter integration across their network that will promote more proactive and coordinated management of their patients across the care continuum. In addition, Anthem and HHC will work jointly to expand the current model by implementing a chronic care program focused on the special needs of individuals with complex conditions. The goal of the model will be to provide a comprehensive approach to improve health, quality of life and lower overall health care costs for this population.
Finally, to improve detection of behavioral health needs, Anthem and HHC have also agreed to work on models to integrate behavioral health into HHC’s primary care settings. Detecting and treatment of behavioral health needs is associated with improved patient compliance, health status, satisfaction and outcomes as well as reductions in cost.
“We are pleased our members will again have in network access to Hartford HealthCare’s hospitals and facilities,” said Jill R. Hummel, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. “We are particularly excited by this new arrangement because of its focus on patient centered care and value based payment. This collaboration presents an excellent opportunity for Anthem and HHC to work together to improve patient health and outcomes while reducing the costs associated with avoidable admissions and ER visits. When providers are given the tools and resources they need to focus on prevention, wellness and the coordination of care, and are rewarded when they improve health, it’s a recipe for success.”
According to Elliot Joseph, president and CEO of Hartford HealthCare, “We are pleased that Hartford HealthCare has been able to come to a multi-year agreement with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. For years, Anthem members have chosen Hartford HealthCare as their preferred health system because they recognize the high-quality health care services our hospitals and facilities provide. This new agreement allows us to work together to continue improving quality, enhancing access to care and making health care more affordable.”
“Anthem would like to thank state, federal and municipal government officials, for encouraging the parties to stay at the table and continue negotiations. We also acknowledge our largest customer, the State of Connecticut, for strongly supporting the continued evolution of Anthem’s current value-based arrangement with HHC,” said Hummel. “This ground breaking partnership will benefit our members through meaningful changes in how care is delivered in Connecticut.”
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans, Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ® ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut is available at . Also, follow us on Twitter at , on Facebook at , or visit our YouTube channel at .
Hartford HealthCare is Connecticut’s most comprehensive health care network. Our fully integrated health system includes a tertiary-care teaching hospital, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital and trauma center, two community hospitals, the state’s most extensive behavioral health services network, a statewide clinical laboratory operation, a large primary care physician practice group, a regional home care system, an array of senior care services, a coordinated cancer institute with five cancer centers, and a large physical therapy rehabilitation network. To learn more, visit , and see how Hartford HealthCare is creating a better future for health care in Connecticut and beyond.