Florida Blue and Baptist Health Care Corporation Form Accountable Care Arrangement

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. and PENSACOLA, Fla., Sept. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Blue and Baptist Health Care (BHC) Corporation announce the execution of an accountable care agreement that aims to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care in northwest Florida.

Through this arrangement, the organizations plan to improve the patient experience by enhancing the coordination of care between BHC and Florida Blue. Built around the Baptist Medical Group (BMG) network of physicians, the BHC accountable care organization will provide coordinated care to patients with the goal of eliminating unnecessary spending and improving their patients' health status by seamlessly sharing information and meeting quality targets.

Launching on Oct. 1, 2014, the accountable care program will utilize a value-based compensation model that rewards quality and efficiency and serve as another example of Florida Blue's payment innovation efforts being deployed across the state.

"We are pleased to launch an accountable care relationship with Baptist Health Care," said Kirk Fischer, vice president of Delivery System for Florida Blue. "Both organizations realize the importance of honing their population health management capabilities for improved outcomes. This relationship will be highly beneficial to our members in northwest Florida."

"Baptist Medical Group and the entire organization are proud to partner with Florida Blue in its Accountable Provider Organization program," said Dan Sontheimer, M.D., senior vice president and chief transformation officer of BHC.  "Baptist Health Care is committed to our vision to be the best health system in America. This partnership allows BMG to partner with Florida Blue in attaining the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Triple Aim goal of transforming the delivery of healthcare."

About Florida Blue
Florida Blue, Florida's Blue Cross and Blue Shield company, is a leader in Florida's health care industry. Our mission is to help people and communities achieve better health. Florida Blue has approximately 4 million health care members and serves 15.5 million people in 16 states through its affiliated companies. Florida Blue is a not-for- profit, policyholder-owned, tax-paying mutual company. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., it is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information, visit http://www.floridablue.com/.

About Baptist Health Care
Baptist Health Care is a community-owned, not-for-profit health care organization committed to improving the quality of life for people and communities in northwest Florida and south Alabama. The organization is a proud member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. A 2003 Malcolm Baldrige recipient, Baptist continuously strives to be a national leader in quality and service. Baptist Health Care includes four hospitals, two medical parks, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine, Lakeview Center, Baptist Medical Group and Cardiology Consultants. With more than 6,400 employees and employed physicians, Baptist Health Care is the largest non-governmental employer in northwest Florida. For more information, please visit www.eBaptistHealthCare.org.

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SOURCE Florida Blue