CHICAGO and TAMPA, Fla., March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Harmony Health Plan, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), and Oak Street Health, Chicago-based primary care clinics designed for adults with Medicare, today announced an agreement that aligns incentives to drive quality and improve health outcomes for WellCare's Medicare members in Illinois.
This partnership represents a new standard of collaboration that is designed to improve health outcomes and provide improved care for patients. Under the agreement, Harmony will provide incentive payments to Oak Street Health for quality-based improvements in certain Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) measures, a tool used by more than 90 percent of America's health plans to measure performance on important dimensions of care and service.
"Harmony and Oak Street Health share a commitment to delivering quality care and positive health outcomes for Medicare recipients," said Dr. Robert Hilliard, Jr., president of Harmony Health Plan. "Quality-based reimbursements create an alliance between managed care organizations and providers, better aligning payment with the value of care and health outcomes achieved."
"Oak Street Health is thrilled to partner with Harmony and WellCare," said Bill Higgins, Oak Street Health vice president of marketing. "We are committed to bringing high-quality primary care to seniors who need it, through an experience focused on keeping patients healthy, and believe that working with WellCare will help advance this mission and will help us serve more seniors."
As of Dec. 31, 2015, WellCare and Harmony Health Plan serve approximately 215,500 members in Illinois, including 168,000 Medicaid members, 15,500 Medicare Advantage plan members and 32,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members.
HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs. The Company serves approximately 3.8 million members nationwide as of Dec. 31, 2015. For more information about WellCare, please visit the Company's website at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.
About Oak Street Health
Oak Street Health is an innovative, Chicago-based organization with a mission to offer adults enrolled in Medicare an excellent healthcare experience tailored to address their unique needs. Based on firsthand experience with a healthcare system that can be confusing, complicated and frustrating, Oak Street Health was founded to offer older adults a full range of primary care services to help them improve their health and overall well-being. Furthermore, Oak Street Health serves Medicare enrollees regardless of income level and at no additional cost beyond their normal Medicare plan. To learn more about Oak Street Health please visit www.oakstreethealth.com.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160302/339741LOGO
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151111/286471LOGO
SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Share this article