Carrum Health Partners with Northern Light Health to Expand Orthopedic and Bariatric Services throughout Maine

SAN FRANCISCO, March 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carrum Health, the first digital health company connecting employers and employees with Centers of Excellence (COEs) for better, more cost-effective healthcare, today announced a new partnership with Northern Light Health in Maine through Northern Light Mercy Hospital and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. The partnership, which marks the latest advance in Carrum Health's national expansion, makes it easier for self-insured employers in Maine and greater New England to lower healthcare costs and improve clinical outcomes. 

Carrum Health's existing customers in Maine, including the State of Maine employee health plan and Jackson Labs, will have access to best-in-class orthopedic care for employees and dependents at both Northern Light Mercy Hospital and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. Best-in-class bariatric services will be available at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center as well. Employees and dependents of Carrum's large Fortune 500 customers also will have the ability to receive outstanding care in their region through the two locations.

"Our collaboration with Carrum Health showcases the excellent care we provide at Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for residents in Maine," said Jonathan Hutter, Director, Brand and Marketing at Northern Light Health. "Together, we can provide access to orthopedic and bariatric care services at affordable and predictable costs close to home."

Carrum Health's technology-powered platform helps employers avoid variation in the quality and cost of care, which is common in Maine. According to an analysis of 160,000 commercially-insured lives in Maine conducted by the Healthcare Purchaser Alliance of Maine, the cost of hip and knee replacements can vary by 615% in the state. In partnership with Northern Light, Carrum Health makes costs more predictable, saves employers between 25% and 45% on such procedures, and guarantees better patient outcomes. Northern Light even takes on risk by backing each of their procedures with a 30-day warranty. 

"We are so pleased to welcome both of these Northern Light locations onto the platform," said Christoph Dankert, VP of Product at Carrum Health. "Both locations offer patients outstanding patient-centered care, and the clinical standards and outcomes meet Carrum Health's rigorous standards all COEs are evaluated against."

In December, Carrum Health announced that the State of Maine is leveraging the Carrum Health platform through a partnership with Maine's Healthcare Purchaser Alliance. Through that partnership, state employees, early retirees and their dependents can use Carrum Health's award-winning technology to find the best providers and bundled payments for a range of surgical procedures. Those members will now have access to Northern Light Mercy Hospital and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. 

"When the State of Maine partnered with Carrum Health last year, we were signaling to the market our position on driving change to value-based care and taking tangible steps to influence provider quality and cost," said Kurt Caswell, executive director, Employee Health & Benefits for the State of Maine. "By teaming up with Carrum to offer services at our hospitals, it's happening now." 

About Carrum Health 
Carrum Health was founded in 2014 with a mission to "bring common sense to healthcare" through a value-based healthcare model that benefits providers, employers and their employees. Headquartered in San Francisco, Carrum's award-winning Centers of Excellence (COE) technology connects self-insured employers with providers under payment arrangements to better manage healthcare costs. By aligning provider incentives with quality performance, Carrum drives improvements in patient experience and health outcomes. Customers include large Fortune 500 companies and public sector organizations. For more information, visit carrumhealth.com.

About Northern Light Health
Northern Light Health is an integrated health delivery system serving Maine with more than 12,000 team members in its hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, long-term and home healthcare, and ground and air medical transport and emergency care. More at www.northernlighthealth.org.

SOURCE Carrum Health