University of California San Francisco Medical Center and Walnut Creek, Calif.-based John Muir Health have finalized an agreement to create a Bay Area healthcare network.
Both organizations remain independent but will collaborate to operate the Bay Area Accountable Care Network, which will provide patients throughout the Bay Area and Northern California with competitively priced options for the hospitals, health systems and physician organizations in the area, according to a news release.
The agreement also creates a development company operated by both organizations that enables them to build new medical facilities, hire more physicians in the networks and provide physicians and patients with new tools to improve coordination of care, according to the news release.
John Muir Health will coordinate its EHR system with UCSF Medical Center's system. Both operate on Epic platforms and will be able to exchange records. The two organizations also anticipate building enhanced physician practice management services to create alternatives for physicians who wish to participate in the Bay Area Accountable Care Network, according to the news release.
As a next step, the two organizations will apply for a restricted Knox-Keene license for the Greater Bay Area, which enables the new health network to contract directly with health plans to develop an insurance product. The goal of establishing the network is to provide high-quality care at an affordable price while improving patient outcomes, according to the news release.
"Our affiliation brings together two forward-thinking organizations that share a vision for how healthcare will be delivered in the future," said Cal Knight, president and CEO of John Muir Health, in the news release. "We're pleased to have finalized our affiliation so we can further our joint initiatives and efforts to develop a Bay Area Accountable Care Network. We're focused on meeting the needs of patients by providing better access to high-quality and affordable care throughout the Bay Area from trusted and respected physicians, hospitals, outpatient facilities and health systems."