Lantern and Marathon Health are joining forces to launch an integrated model that brings together primary and specialty care, a key concern for employers as costs rise.
The partnership combines Marathon's advanced primary care model with Lantern's specialty care platform, simplifying the patient care journey, better managing costs and reducing unnecessary procedures. Marathon clients that do not currently work with Lantern can purchase its services through Marathon, making the process easier for employers, too.
The two initially collaborated on a pilot program with early adopters, focused on orthopedic care, and found between a 37% and 100% increase in referrals to Lantern. Referrals from Marathon led to a 47% increase in either completed or averted surgical procedures, the companies said.
The partners provided the news first to Fierce Healthcare.
Chris Pricco, CEO of Marathon Health, told Fierce Healthcare in an interview that the partners were built on the same mission of ensuring that patients receive the care that they need in the most appropriate venue.
"Lantern and Marathon have very common philosophies around getting patients to the right care at the right kind of service setting," Pricco said.
In addition to the results around referrals, the pilot generated significant savings for employers in avoiding unnecessary procedures, according to the announcement. Employers in the pilot averaged 53% in savings relative to network rates for necessary procedures, the companies said.
John Zutter, CEO of Lantern, said in an interview that the company manages specialty care for about 12 million members across the country, which has allowed it to build out a substantial network of providers that it can lean on for both cost and quality.
"Through a highly integrated partnership like we have with Marathon, you can pass along those benefits of greater utilization and a better and more seamless experience, to the employer and the member, respectively, and that's exactly what we saw in the pilot," Zutter said.
In addition to better managing the cost related to surgical care, the partnership aims to make primary care the "front door" to needed specialty services. Marathon operates many employer on-site clinics, and those locations offer a clear opportunity to bring patients into the system and then connect them with needed supports, like those offered by Lantern, Pricco said.
The partnership is building on the pilot and focusing on musculoskeletal care for now, and will be available for employer clients this year. Musculoskeletal services are a key cost driver and area of focus for employers, the companies said.
Pricco said that Lantern's large network in this space makes Marathon's clinicians feel comfortable making referrals when necessary.
"This lines right up with what we're about in our value proposition to our employers around strong primary care, good management of the specialty downstream care, making sure consumers understand what their options are," he said.