Premier Inc. has formed a new organization that is focused on optimizing care through clinically led partnerships with large, national employers and their health plans. The company, Contigo Health, is designed to be a clinically driven network of health systems collaborating with employers and their health plans to deliver the best care possible for their employees.
Contigo Health plans to launch pilot programs with employers by partnering with health systems in select markets to eliminate unwarranted variation in care delivery. The goal is to avoid unnecessary invasive treatments and focus on delivering the most appropriate care to improve quality and reduce costs.
A group of 35 leading health systems, representing more than 440 hospitals, have already signed letters of intent to participate in Contigo Health’s high-value network of providers. Contigo Health is also working with several large national employer partners, which it expects to announce in the coming months.
Nearly half of all Americans receive health insurance through an employer and the cost to insure a single employee is estimated at $15,000. As a result, employers have taken an activist role in healthcare in order to create a consistently healthy workforce while keeping costs manageable.
“Premiums are rising six percent each year and employers are increasingly bearing a larger share of overall healthcare costs,” said Michael J. Alkire, President of Premier. “It’s imperative that healthcare providers lead the care decision-making process, and therefore they need closer relationships with the employers funding care. We designed Contigo Health to foster trusted relationships between clinicians, health systems and employers that are focused on achieving these common goals—while working within their existing benefit structure and health plans.”
Jonathan R. Slotkin, M.D., will serve as Contigo Health’s Chief Medical Officer to lead its clinical innovation, strategy and operations, while continuing to care for patients as a neurosurgeon at Geisinger. Dr. Slotkin has led patient-centered transformation initiatives with some of the largest employers in the U.S.
“Most employees have seen their insurance deductibles triple since 2008,” said Dr. Slotkin. “That’s why I am passionate about bringing employers and health systems together. Contigo Health has a groundbreaking mission to increase access to high-quality care, improve employee productivity and advance the value of healthcare overall. Great, affordable care allows people to be engaged at work and as healthy, happy and productive as possible – it can also be an employee’s best benefit.”
Powered by Premier’s member network, data and technology, Contigo Health is focused on increasing engagement with employer health and wellness programs in the clinical setting. This includes empowering clinicians with information on employers’ existing ancillary benefits during the patient encounter, ensuring patients are aware of the resources available to better manage their health.
Contigo Health is designed to deliver insights to clinicians through a user-friendly, EMR-integrated, proprietary clinical decision support interface to guide informed care choices with the latest evidence-based practices.
“Contigo Health is a nimble company that is strengthened by Premier’s network of high-value hospitals and health systems, years of expertise and industry relationships, as well as its leading data, analytics and technology,” said Steven Nelson, President of Contigo Health. “We believe there is so much opportunity for health systems and employers to innovate together, in harmony with their health plans. We are committed to creating this space to give people access to the highest-quality, highest-value care that is most appropriate for their needs.”
