Health Net of CA and John Muir Form 'Accountable Care Organization'

News from John Muir Health:

Health Net of California, Inc., a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc., and John Muir Health have formed an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) serving Health Net members utilizing John Muir Health’s medical centers and its physician network in Contra Costa, Solano and Alameda counties.

“Our goal is to help improve the ability of patients to find the right care at the right time and in the most appropriate setting,” said Chris Ellertson, regional health plan officer for Health Net. “Through the arrangement, Health Net and John Muir Health will work collaboratively to build new efficiencies aimed at reducing the cost of care while maintaining access to quality care and decreasing the upward pressure on insurance premiums.”

According to Lee Huskins, president and chief administrative officer of John Muir Health’s physician network, the ACO will focus on promoting patient engagement and improving the patient experience through a combination of care management and wellness and prevention programs, utilizing approaches like:

– Promoting quality, cost-effective medical outcomes through a patient-centered medical home that utilizes an interdisciplinary provider team.

– Enhancing care by coaching and providing specific tools to patients with complex care needs and their family members and caregivers to continue their healing during the transition from the hospital to home.

“This partnership is well-aligned with our efforts to lower costs, enhance quality and service, and increase access to John Muir Health,” said Huskins. “We’re committed to engaging patients as partners in their care to help them maintain and improve their health. We look forward to working collaboratively with our patients and Health Net on this effort.”

An ACO is a group of doctors, hospitals, other health care providers and health plans that closely align and collaborate on providing coordinated, quality care to patients and help avoid unnecessary duplication of services and medical errors.

About John Muir Health

John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of 950 primary care and specialty physicians, more than 5,500 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including Contra Costa County’s only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center. The health system also offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics and high-risk obstetrics care. For more information, visitwww.johnmuirhealth.com.

About Health Net

Health Net, Inc. (NYSE: HNT) is a publicly traded managed care organization that delivers managed health care services through health plans and government-sponsored managed care plans. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. Health Net provides and administers health benefits to approximately 5.9 million individuals across the country through group, individual, Medicare (including the Medicare prescription drug benefit commonly referred to as “Part D”), Medicaid, U.S. Department of Defense, including TRICARE, and Veterans Affairs programs. Health Net also offers behavioral health, substance abuse and employee assistance programs, managed health care products related to prescription drugs, managed health care product coordination for multi-region employers, and administrative services for medical groups and self-funded benefits programs.

For more information on Health Net, Inc., please visit Health Net’s website at www.healthnet.com.