Concord, N.H.-based Granite Healthcare Network, a partnership of five New Hampshire hospitals and health systems, has improved quality and controlled cost in its first year in a collaborative accountable care initiative with Cigna.
A collaborative accountable care initiative is Cigna's version of an accountable care organization, with goals of improving care outcomes and patient experience while lowering the cost of care. Members of Granite Healthcare Network are Concord (N.H.) Hospital, Elliot Health System in Manchester, LRGHealthcare in Laconia, Southern New Hampshire Health System in Nashua and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover.
In 2012, GHN's medical cost trend was 1.2 percentage points better than the state's, showing the CAC initiative successfully bent the cost curve, according to the news release. The following factors contributed to that success:
• Emergency room cost trend was reduced by 8 percent.
• ER room use was reduced by 4 percent.
• Advanced imaging cost trend was reduced by 4 percent.
• Advanced imaging use was reduced by 7 percent.
In addition to keeping costs down, the CAC initiative also improved quality — GHN had better-than-market quality results for cervical and breast cancer screenings, preventative for adolescents, diabetes care and child access to physicians.
"Our collaboration with Cigna…is helping us deliver high-quality care while keeping healthcare costs in check. While we're very pleased with the progress we've made so far, we look forward to continuing the collaboration to the benefit of our patients and Cigna's customers," Rachel Rowe, executive director for GHN, said in the release.
The CAC covers 30,000 Cigna health plan patients.
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