Highmark Blue Shield and Lehigh Valley Health Network announce joint effort to reduce health care cost trends, improve coordination of care

CAMP HILL, Pa.; ALLENTOWN, Pa. (August 15, 2016) –

Two local health industry organizations have announced plans to work together to create long-term health improvements in the community – improvements that can lower future health care cost trends for both employers and individuals.

Highmark Blue Shield (Highmark) has launched a new health insurance product* – Lehigh Valley Flex Blue – in Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill counties enabling Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and other aligned providers to better manage the care members and patients receive, improving outcomes and lowering future health care costs.

Employers and individuals can enroll in Lehigh Valley Flex Blue coverage that is effective January 1, 2017. Members will also be able to access care at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton, Luzerne County, and at Pocono Health System in Monroe County.

Employers, individuals to benefit

Lehigh Valley Flex Blue is designed for employers that are concerned with the cost of providing health insurance coverage to their employees, and ensuring that employees have access to local hospitals and doctors that are consistently recognized for quality care.

“Our goal with Lehigh Valley Flex Blue is to provide a cost-effective option for employers that want to provide employees with access to the best care,” said Deborah Rice-Johnson, president, Highmark Health Plan. “Lehigh Valley Health Network is a recognized leader in quality and in providing advanced, compassionate and comprehensive health care services to the communities it serves. We are pleased to collaborate with them so that our members can access that same high level of care.”

In addition, all Highmark members in the Lehigh Valley Flex Blue product will benefit from a greater coordination of care between the health insurer and LVHN.

“We will share data, resources and information to ensure that patients are getting the preventive services, tests, follow-up care and education they need in the most efficient manner, without duplication of care and unnecessary steps,” said Gregory G. Kile, senior vice president of Insurance and Payer Strategies, LVHN and president and CEO, Populytics. “In short, the Lehigh Valley Flex Blue product allows us to develop a collaborative relationship with Highmark focused on the overall health of the community and improving patients’ care experience; all while lowering the care cost trend.”

Highmark’s individual members and group customers in the Lehigh Valley Flex Blue product will have access to the entire Highmark and Blue Card network, which covers 92 percent of doctors and 96 percent of hospitals in the U.S., and will see enhanced value – such as lower out of pocket costs – when accessing doctors or facilities that are part of LVHN and other aligned providers.

Lehigh Valley Health Network includes five hospital campuses – three in Allentown including the region’s only facility dedicated to orthopedic surgery, one in Bethlehem and one in Hazleton, Pa. Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital in the region, provides care in 28 specialties and general pediatrics. LVHN also is awaiting regulatory approval on proposed mergers with Schuylkill Health System in Pottsville and Pocono Health System in East Stroudsburg.

* Pending regulatory approval.

---

About Highmark Blue Shield

Highmark Inc. doing business as Highmark Blue Shield serves approximately 1.2 million members through the company’s health care benefits business and hundreds of thousands of additional members through the Blue Card program. It employs nearly 2,300 people in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. Highmark Blue Shield 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 www.highmark.com.

About Lehigh Valley Health Network

Lehigh Valley Health Network includes five hospital campuses – three in Allentown including the region’s only facility dedicated to orthopedic surgery, one in Bethlehem and one in Hazleton, Pa.; 14 health centers caring for communities in five counties; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices throughout the region; pharmacy, imaging, home health services and lab services; and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred.   Specialty care includes: trauma care at the region’s busiest, most-experienced trauma center treating adults and children, burn care at the regional Burn Center, kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer care, and neurology and complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.  Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital in the region, provides care in 28 specialties and general pediatrics. Lehigh Valley Hospital has been recognized by US News & World Report for 21 consecutive years as one of America’s Best Hospitals and is a national Magnet hospital for excellence in nursing.  LVHN’s Cancer Institute is a formal member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance, a transformative initiative to improve the quality of care and outcomes for people with cancer in community health care settings, including access to key MSK clinical trials. Additional information is available at www.lvhn.org and by following us on facebook.com/LVHealthNetwork and twitter.com/LVHN.

About Populytics

Populytics, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lehigh Valley Health Network, is a population health management and analytics firm that facilitates the movement toward value-based care. Claims and clinical data are collected and aggregated via advanced analytics tools to provide actionable information. Services include population health analytics, health benefits administration, health benefits consulting, clinical care coordination, and BeneFIT Corporate Wellness solutions. These comprehensive services afford higher quality care while bending the cost curve. For more information, visit www.populytics.com.