SurgeryPlus®, by Employer Direct Healthcare®, and Contigo Health® to Offer Broader Access to Industry-Leading Center of Excellence (COE) Programs

DALLAS, June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Employer Direct Healthcare's SurgeryPlus and Contigo Health, LLC, a subsidiary of Premier, Inc., announced that they have entered into an agreement toward the goal of providing self-funded employer-sponsored health plans with access to the nation's leading centers of excellence (COE) services, with a focus on adding greater healthcare treatment options, broader access and competition to the COE marketplace.  By participating in this new, expanded COE network, employers will be able to access the network capabilities of the two organizations by the end of 2022. 

"Contigo Health is an established leader in the COE space and has demonstrated strong results for many of the nation's leading employers with its Employers Centers of Excellence Network (ECEN), including some of the best-in-class clinicians and health systems," said John Zutter, CEO of Employer Direct Healthcare's SurgeryPlus. "While our history is shorter, we have developed the nation's most robust high-performance surgical network, now available to millions of members across hundreds of employers. Together, Employer Direct Healthcare's SurgeryPlus and Contigo Health's COE capabilities will offer greater choice and accessibility to approximately seven million Americans."

Working together, the companies will be offering the broadest COE network with over 450 contracted facilities, increasing choice and accessibility for their clients' health plan members, while maintaining a focus on ensuring care is available at the highest quality and appropriateness standards. 

"We have a mission of increasing access to high-quality care, improving employee productivity and advancing the value of healthcare overall," added Steven Nelson, President & CEO of Contigo Health. "Over the last several years we have seen increased employer expectations for broader accessibility and patient engagement to encourage appropriate care utilization. Given these dynamics, we are especially excited to work with Employer Direct Healthcare's SurgeryPlus to further our mission."

This new COE collaborative will be available to clients for 2023 health plan effective dates. For 2024, SurgeryPlus and Contigo Health will be offering an even more deeply integrated product, leveraging each company's strengths.

Employer Direct Healthcare is a market-leading healthcare services business providing high-quality and cost-efficient solutions for self-funded employers and their members. The company's solutions transform healthcare for its members, facilitating access to top-quality care at fair prices nationwide.

Employer Direct Healthcare's first product, SurgeryPlus^®, is the market-leading surgical benefit, providing full-service concierge and network services to millions of covered members across hundreds of employers. In July of 2022, the company is launching a first of its kind, comprehensive end-to-end oncology solution for the employer market.

For more information and the latest updates about Employer Direct Healthcare, visit EDHC.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Contigo Health, LLC creates new ways for clinicians, health systems and employers to work together to optimize employee health benefits. With over 3.8 million eligible members, the Contigo Health products include Sync Health Plan Administration (TPA), Sync Health Plan BPO, and ECEN Passport (COE). These quality programs support a common goal for all stakeholders to increase access to high-quality care, enhance employee engagement, control costs and get employees back to work and life faster. For more information, please visit www.contigohealth.com.

CONTACT: Dickon Waterfield, Chief Commercial Officer, [email protected]

SOURCE Employer Direct Healthcare