Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois announced Tuesday it launched four new intensive medical homes April 1, bringing the state-wide total to 14.
BCBSIL's intensive medical homes are value-based incentive models of care with embedded nurse care managers who focus on managing care for the highest risk patients. "The IMH is an alternative for providers that aren't part of a larger accountable care organization, but do want to be part of a value-based care model," Walter Hollinger, MD, medical director of strategic operations at BCBSIL, said in a statement.
BCBSIL launched IMHs with the following organizations in Illinois.
- Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (Princeton).
- Lurie Children's Health Partners (Chicago).
- Rush Health (Chicago).
- Unified Physicians Network (Skokie).
These additions also mark BCBSIL's first pediatric specialty IMH. "This Specialty IMH arrangement with Lurie Children's Health Partners represents a continuing shift in the evolving nature of how we pay for medical services, and it moves reimbursement away from fee-for-service payments to those that are payments for value," Dr. Hollinger said in a statement. "In addition, the arrangement enables the Lurie Children's Health Partners providers to utilize clinical data and best practices to help drive medical decision-making and improve quality of care — all supporting the goals of better health and improved outcomes for our BCBSIL members."
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