Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) has added three more accountable care organizations (ACOs) this month, bringing the total number of payer-provider partnerships to five for an insurer that already participates in the largest commercial ACO in the country.
The three new ACOs include Independent Physicians' ACO of Chicago, Northwest Community Healthcare and the Illinois Health Partners, reports Healthcare Finance News. Combined, the providers serve more than 100,000 patients.
The insurer experienced early success with its Advocate Health ACO in 2012 by reducing hospital admissions per member by 10.6 percent and decreased emergency department visits by 5.4 percent, FierceHealthPayer previously reported.
Additionally, the contract with Advocate Health, the state's largest healthcare system, serves more than 250,000 patients and is the largest commercial ACO in the United States, notes the article.
BCBSIL also recently announced plans to launch a value-based care model with DuPage Medical Group. The Chicago area's largest physician practice has more than 425 doctors.
Elsewhere, other insurers have experienced ACO success. Aetna, for instance, has some 60 commercial ACO agreements, with two-thirds featuring risk-sharing agreements.
For more:
- here's the Healthcare Finance News article