Henry Ford Health System embarked on its first "direct to employer" healthcare contract with General Motors to provide care and wellness services to more than 24,000 salaried GM employees and their families, the Detroit-based health system announced Aug. 6.
Here are three things to know about the partnership:
1. GM's "ConnectedCare" plan will offer salaried employees access to more than 3,000 providers from Henry Ford's network of primary care and specialty care physicians. The plan will begin its open enrollment period in 2019.
2. Patients will have access to a comprehensive range of services, including primary care, more than 40 specialties, behavioral health services and emergency care from Henry Ford physicians in a seven-county eligibility area. GM employees who choose the plan will also be able to use resources to ease appointment scheduling and have access to digital health tools like Henry Ford MyChart, which allows patients access to several virtual visit options.
3. As part of the multiyear contract, Henry Ford practitioners will also help members keep track of their health with regular wellness exams, monitoring of chronic conditions and preventive screenings.
"We are honored that General Motors chose Henry Ford for its first direct contract in Southeast Michigan," Wright L. Lassiter III, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System, said in a prepared statement. "We are very committed to addressing the affordability of healthcare — offering exceptional care while bending the cost curve for consumers in the communities we serve. Given our experience in delivering value-based care, and our extensive physician network, we are uniquely poised to create a truly innovative solution for GM, their employees and families."