Insurer and Idaho physician groups unveil plan to deliver cost savings, choice and better care

BOISE, Idaho, Dec. 14, 2017 -- Regence BlueShield of Idaho and community-based physician groups are announcing the establishment of the only statewide accountable health network in Idaho. The new network is known as the Regence Medical Neighborhood and it offers a wide range of options for consumers.

Map of Regence Medical Neighborhood Scott Kreiling president, Regence BlueShield of Idaho

“The Regence Medical Neighborhood is one of the only statewide networks of its kind in the nation,” said Bill Bradley, vice president of Commercial Products for Regence. “Paired with our market-leading products, we’ve got solutions for Idaho that are truly new and different.” 

How it works

In the Regence Medical Neighborhood, people can choose one of seven primary care medical groups committed to high-quality care at an overall lower cost. The chosen group, or “Neighborhood,” becomes a primary care partner. Individuals and families in the Regence Medical Neighborhood can go to any network specialist and any network hospital they choose.

Tangible cost and care improvements

The Regence Medical Neighborhood offers significant advantages over traditional broad or narrow networks. Notably, the primary care providers in the Medical Neighborhood beat the cost trend of the overall market through better management of chronic medical conditions and greater awareness of the costs of procedures. These participating physician groups have been shown to improve quality by reducing unnecessary care, and have higher quality measures on the management of chronic conditions, prevention of readmissions and medication monitoring. Importantly for both individuals and employers, the better care and cost management achieved by this network model results in lower premiums.

“Giving Idahoans the opportunity to take advantage of this innovative network is really exciting for Regence and our outstanding physician group partners,” said Scott Kreiling, president of Regence BlueShield of Idaho. “We know the people and organizations we serve here expect us to develop and deliver health care options that raise the bar on care quality, while keeping affordability at the forefront. It’s so satisfying to be able to meet that expectation with our Medical Neighborhood solution.”

“This network expands the reach of our successful Total Cost of Care accountable health program, introduced in 2013, by bringing on additional physician partners,” said Melissa Christian, vice president of Network Management for Regence. “The program sets 17 targets for quality improvement in the care of our members, while providing the same cost analytics support to achieve an overall lower cost of care.”

Medical Neighborhoods will become available for people who purchase their insurance individually and for organizations with 51 or more employees, whether fully insured or self-funded, starting in the first quarter of 2018.

Providers as partners

The physician groups – with their nearly 600 affiliated primary care physicians – participating in the Regence Medical Neighborhood Network include:

• Catalyst Medical Group
• Clearwater Medical
• Community Health Center Network of Idaho (CHCNI)
• Mountain View Medical
• Northwest Medical
• Primary Health Medical Group
• Saltzer Medical Group

Since 2013, Regence health plans have implemented more than 50 value-based agreements – including the Regence Medical Neighborhood – with providers across Idaho, Utah, Oregon and Washington.

About Regence BlueShield of Idaho

Regence BlueShield of Idaho, based in Lewiston, has been serving Idahoans for 71 years and now provides more than 142,000 members with comprehensive health insurance solutions. As a nonprofit mutual insurance company and independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Regence is part of a family of companies dedicated to transforming health care by delivering innovative products and services that change the way consumers in Idaho and nationwide experience health care. For more information, please visit regence.com, facebook.com/regenceblueshieldofidaho or twitter.com/regenceidaho.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3167ce75-2752-4d71-ad49-bb3dbdddb04e

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fcfa623f-aefb-4c8c-8060-9e7f88bf85ce

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c4281d83-cc3b-4c1b-804b-1ba547cdaf3e

Lou Riepl
Regence BlueShield of Idaho
208-395-7705
[email protected]