Dive Brief:
- A Cleveland-based ACO, University Hospitals Accountable Care Organization, has reached out to health plan Cigna to launch a collaborative accountable care (CAC) effort.
- The deal includes about 10,000 Cigna members who already receive care from University Hospitals' roughly 1,500 employed physicians; the new collaborative effort will also include UHACO registered nurses and medical assistants, who will serve as clinical care coordinators.
- Cigna reports that it already has 75 CAC initiatives under way in 26 states.
Dive Insight:
Seeing health plans bond with provider-driven ACOs and form new institutions is a welcome sign that the ACO model is maturing. It has taken years of market evolution to get to the point where health plans like Cigna make a serious commitment to a robust partnership like an ACO, and it's likely to take several more before ACOs meet their rather lofty goals.In the mean time, it's good to see health plans at the table.