SEATTLE – A new collaboration between Regence BlueShield and Physician Care Alliance (PCA) will mean higher quality care for patients at provider groups across Washington.
Regence members at seven medical groups across five Washington counties are now part of PCA, a clinically integrated network. The medical groups are The Polyclinic in King County; Western Washington Medical Group in Snohomish County; Sound Family Medicine in Pierce County; Tumwater Family Medicine, Yelm Family Medicine and Pioneer Family Practice in Thurston County; and Walla Walla Clinic in Walla Walla County.
The arrangement with PCA provides patients with more cost-effective care and enables better patient health outcomes. PCA will bring improved health data and analytics and quality improvement tools, as well as an economy of scale rare for smaller independent medical groups.
“The elevated arrangement with Physician Care Alliance will improve health outcomes by making it easier to share valuable member information with physicians” said John Partin, vice president of network management for Regence BlueShield. “Clinically integrated networks are an ideal and proven way to promote high-quality, affordable and accessible care for patients who get their health care from independent physician practices. Our collaboration with PCA benefits not just Regence members but communities across the state.”
“Physician Care Alliance and its participating medical groups have demonstrated their ability to simultaneously control rising health care costs and increase quality in areas like preventive health, diabetes care, and medication management,” said Lloyd David, CEO of The Polyclinic, a partner in PCA. “We are excited to partner with Regence to bring these benefits to their members and purchasers.”
Over the past five years, Regence BlueShield and its affiliated health plans have implemented more than 50 value-based agreements with providers across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Utah. Under the agreements, providers are incentivized to achieve better care and improved patient experience at lower costs, and Regence gives the providers data and analytics to help them achieve those goals.
About Regence BlueShield
Regence BlueShield has been serving Washingtonians in select counties for over a century and now provides nearly 1.1 million members with comprehensive health insurance solutions. As a nonprofit 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 nationwide experience health care. For more information, please visit regence.com, facebook.com/regenceblueshieldwa or twitter.com/regencewa.
About Physician Care Alliance
Founded in 2015, Physician Care Alliance (PCA) was formed with significant investments from The Polyclinic, Physicians Insurance –A Mutual Company, and Premera Blue Cross to enable physician practices in the Pacific Northwest to survive and thrive in the new health care environment. Since its founding, PCA has implemented a robust population health management platform that improves patient outcomes, enhances quality reporting and maximizes shared-savings opportunities. PCA has helped to improve quality across all participating groups and achieved shared savings in the first performance year in all health plan contracts. For more information visit: www.pcanetwork.com.