Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System and health insurance giant UnitedHealthcare have formed an accountable care organization aimed at improving the coordination of healthcare and patient satisfaction, according to Your Houston News.
All Houston-area residents enrolled in UnitedHealthcare's employer sponsored health plans are eligible to receive care under the ACO. More than 120,000 UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored plan members access healthcare services from Memorial Hermann each year, according to the report.
"UnitedHealthcare and Memorial Hermann are working together to help people receive more personalized and better connected care, which will significantly enhance people's ability to live healthier lives," said Dave Milich, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of South Texas, according to the report.
Through the collaboration, UnitedHealthcare and Memorial Hermann will work together to improve the coordination of patient care with shared technology and timely data about emergency room visits and hospital admissions. UnitedHealthcare will supplement Memorial Hermann's patient medical data to support overall population health management.
The ACO will also provide patients with services to help manage chronic health conditions by enhancing relationships with their personal physicians and by encouraging healthy lifestyles, according to the report.