The Carilion Clinic, the largest healthcare provider in southwest Virginia, has announced plans to collaborate with Aetna in an accountable care organization. The two organizations say their partnership will lower costs through more effective patient outreach and engagement and a new payment model that rewards providers for the collective outcomes of patients.
The two companies will work on co-branding commercial health plans for businesses and individuals, creating joint opportunities to better meet the needs of patients and creating new payment models encouraging accountability. Members and doctors, the organizations say, will see more effective and coordinated treatment through the combined technologies and resources.
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"Working together with a shared vision, we believe we can develop a continuum of care that will be a game-changer in the industry and a great benefit to our patients," said R. Wayne Gandee, MD, the Carilion Clinic's chief medical officer, in a statement. "We are already on similar paths. Carilion is working to coordinate and improve care on the provider side, and Aetna is doing the same from the health plan perspective."
"Aetna is exploring new ways to work with healthcare providers, and we've found that these discussions are positively received as we collectively seek to improve the healthcare system," added Thomas Grote, president of Aetna's Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., markets. "Our arrangement with Carilion will provide a foundation to grow these new models of care."
Under the new partnership, Carilion will continue to offer Medicare Advantage products and reduce administrative costs by purchasing administrative services for the products through Aetna. Aetna will become the administrator of the clinic's employee health benefits plan.
Physicians and facilities of the clinic will continue to participate in existing health plan provider networks and accept members from Aetna and other private insurance plans.