Intermountain Healthcare and UCHealth are forming a new partnership to develop a clinically integrated network (CIN) with comprehensive patient resources. The venture will bring together 700 primary care physicians and hundreds of clinics and hospitals, with support from specialists throughout Colorado. In addition, the partnership will help bring a new health insurance option to Coloradans.
The CIN aims to accelerate the transition to value-based care in the state by improving care coordination and providing higher-quality health care for more than 300,000 residents at lower costs.
“For many years, UCHealth has focused on reducing healthcare costs, lowering insurance premiums, and improving the lives of our patients. We are excited to partner with Intermountain to advance these goals and to give Coloradans a new option for their health insurance that prioritizes value-based care,” said Elizabeth B. Concordia, UCHealth president, and CEO. “Together, we will help improve the overall health of the communities we serve.”
Initially, Intermountain Healthcare’s Colorado Quality Care Network and UCHealth’s Coordinated Care Colorado network will be brought together to create the joint venture CIN; other affiliated Colorado CINs/provider networks may join the venture in the future.
The partnership will also support health insurance products and programs offered through SelectHealth, which will provide Medicare Advantage and Individual ACA (Affordable Care Act) plans, pending regulatory approval, beginning on January 1, 2024. SelectHealth is a nonprofit health plan serving more than one million members in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. SelectHealth is a subsidiary of Intermountain Healthcare.
“The CIN will treat SelectHealth just like all payers here. Any plan that aligns with the CIN’s goals of ensuring a better patient experience and health outcomes while lowering costs will be considered a valuable partner,” said Mark Korth, Intermountain Healthcare’s regional president. “UCHealth and Intermountain look forward to the next evolution to our value-based care approach.”
“UCHealth’s clinically integrated network, our employees, and the dedicated providers we work with have made significant strides in recent years, helping patients receive preventive care services, address chronic conditions, and utilize the most appropriate care. We have seen exciting results, including cost savings and improvements in our patient’s health,” said Michael A. Cancro, president of UCHealth Coordinated Care Colorado and chief strategy officer. “Together with Intermountain, these results will multiply, providing benefits for our entire state.”
Though UCHealth and Intermountain are creating a new CIN partnership, the two health systems will remain separate and independent, and the CIN will be operated as an independent company. The two organizations expect their current contracts and relationships with insurance plans to continue as they work with all providers to improve quality and reduce costs.