Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina plan to pilot programs to provide value-based care while improving outcomes and costs through the new Center for Healthcare Innovation.
The Center for Healthcare Innovation brings together BCBSNC's data analytics capabilities with Wake Forest Baptist's ability to pilot alternative sites of care in an open collaboration. The center focuses on the following three primary areas:
• Testing new ways to deliver and coordinate care at home to reduce hospital length of stay
• Exploring opportunities to control costs through more efficient administrative processes
• Starting programs to promote BCBSNC members to sue healthcare services more efficiently
"This collaboration with Blue Cross is the perfect example of the type of investment in innovation needed to respond to the economic challenges faced by patients, healthcare providers and insurers," said Terry G. Williams, executive vice president of strategy and network development for Wake Forest Baptist, in a news release. "More financial investments in new business models that are value-based and patient-centered are required to bring the result that we seek: improved health for our patients and lower medical expenses."
The center's first pilot program focuses on addressing gaps in care after a patient leaves the hospital. Paired Health, a software and services platform provider, is working with BCBSNC and Wake Forest Baptist to help providers with personalized care plans, engaging patients in their homes and coordinating care across many providers, including behavioral health providers and pastoral care, according to the release.
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