xG Health Solutions celebrates one year anniversary

Geisinger startup reflects on 2013 accomplishments, positioned for 2014 success

COLUMBIA, Md., Feb. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With support from a $40 million investment from Oak Investment Partners, Geisinger Health System a year ago helped launch independent for-profit xG Health Solutions™, dedicated to transforming health care delivery in a risk-based financial environment.

"We have the ability and opportunity now to improve the way health care is delivered and improve patient outcomes while reducing health care costs," said xG Health CEO Earl Steinberg, M.D., MPP.

To accomplish its mission of helping health care providers be successful in improving patient care under risk-based payment arrangements, xG Health uses Geisinger's lauded experience and innovations in delivering patient care. xG Health's mission is supported by Glenn D. Steele Jr., M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Geisinger Health System, and chairman of the xG Health board of directors.

xG Health is in a long-term, close collaboration to help push the transformative power of the Geisinger model into health care nationwide.

"With our Geisinger partnership, we have a $4 billion research and development shop and access to experts who are on the front lines of innovation and delivery," emphasized Dr. Steinberg, who is also Geisinger's executive vice president of Innovation & Dissemination.

A few highlights from xG Health's inaugural year:

Results:  xG Health achieved 16 percent reduction in admissions and readmissions and improved quality measures by 50 to 300 percent at West Virginia United Health System.  New programs and care modeling reduced total cost of care by 5 percent at Eastern Maine Pioneer ACO. 

Customers.  xG Health closed 2013 with 23 customers -- a diverse group of provider organizations that showed strong commitment to volume-to-value transformation, the key criterion in client selection. xG Health's clients include: Phoebe Putney Health System in Albany, Ga.; Integrated Delivery System of Spokane, LLC -- a joint venture between Group Health Cooperative and Providence Health Care in the Pacific Northwest; and Eastern Health Alliance, the regional health system of eastern Singapore.

Solutions and Products.  xG Health solutions include tools, expertise and essential services. The xG Health approach acknowledges that tools are necessary but not sufficient to produce results, helping clinicians identify the highest priority actions for their patients, interpret results of analysis and integrate them into their daily workflows. An innovative multi-payer product, bundle payment initiative, unique approach to case management and implementation of advanced medical homes focus on helping providers deliver better-quality and lower-cost care.

Our people, culture and values. 100 employees strong, xG Health has built a team that brings deep experience in population health, clinical, payer, payment innovation, health care data analytics and operations.

What you can expect from in 2014.  Continued focus on quality and innovation.  Strong results derived from a tireless commitment to customers' success on their way to value-based care.   

"I am proud of how much we have been able to accomplish in our first year. It is rewarding to see how xG Health is applying Geisinger innovations to bring strong results and changes to other health systems," said Dr. Steele. "This year, we will continue improving quality and reducing cost of care in many diverse communities -- from Pennsylvania to Georgia to the Pacific Northwest."

About xG Health Solutions

xG Health Solutions' mission is to help health systems and others committed to high quality, value-based care succeed under risk-based payment arrangements. Our volume-to-value roadmap, care design and delivery, population health analytics, and financial optimization services are powered by Geisinger Health System's methods that have been proven to achieve best-in-class outcomes. xG Health is the primary provider of Geisinger's Healthcare Performance Improvement Intellectual Property.  xG Health also provides experienced professionals to partner in developing and implementing strategies focused on improving quality and reducing cost of care over the long haul. For more information, visit www.xghealth.com, or follow the latest xG Health news and more on LinkedIn or Twitter.

About Geisinger Health System

Geisinger is an integrated health services organization that has been widely recognized for its innovative use of the electronic health record and the development and implementation of innovative care models, including ProvenHealth Navigator (an advanced medical home model) and its ProvenCare program. Geisinger Health Plan, the insurance affiliate of Geisinger Health System, serves members in Pennsylvania, Maine, New Jersey, and West Virginia. The plan is consistently ranked among the top-ranked health plans in Pennsylvania and the nation, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance's (NCQA) annual Private and Medicare Health Insurance Plan Rankings. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org and www.thehealthplan.com.

CONTACT: Tatiana Nikitina, xG Health, o: 443-203-1079, m: 917-749-4603, [email protected]

SOURCE Geisinger Health System