In its first full year, the accountable care organization created by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana and Franciscan Alliance hospital system of Mishawaka, Ind., generated cost savings of nearly $22 million, reports the Indiana Business Journal.
In addition to financial savings, both organizations reported improved patient care and health outcomes among ACO participants. The first year of the contract ran from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015.
Nearly 60,000 Anthem members participate in the Franciscan Alliance ACO.
Below are four highlights from the report.
- There was a 2 to 4 percent increase in medication adherence for patients with diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.
- Franciscan and Blue Cross saw a 7 percent improvement in wellness visits for children 15 months and younger.
- The ACO saw a decrease in hospital inpatient admissions for conditions such as asthma, COPD, diabetes, urinary tract infection and heart failure.
- The ACO saw a decrease in preventable emergency room visits for conditions such as earaches, sinus infections and urinary tract infections.