NJ payer and provider find common ground in population health goals

Although commercial payers and behavioral health providers are often at odds, two New Jersey companies are working together on a bundled payment model to help improve population health.

Community-based behavioral health center Care Plus NJ and a new CO-OP plan, Health Republic Insurance, want to help reduce ER visits and hospitalizations among the payer's members, according to an article from Behavioral Healthcare.

The two companies struck a deal over a bundled payment arrangement that pays for a spectrum of services, many of which will focus on in-person crisis care. Health Republic agreed to pay a single rate that would allow healthcare teams to optimize services. Care Plus agreed to provide high-touch care when patients in need were identified through the CO-OP's claims data.

Kathy Bianco, advocate leader of Care Plus, said that the payer-provider collaboration is allowing it to help more patients and improve patient outcomes, according to Behavioral Healthcare

Looking ahead, Health Republic and Care Plus hope to create a statewide network of behavioral health homes, the article says, and they hope to soon become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic under the Excellence in Mental Health Act.

To learn more:
- here's the Behavioral Healthcare article