Worcester, Massachusetts – Steward Health Care Network (SHCN) and Central Massachusetts Independent Physician Association, LLC (CMIPA) today announced that Steward plans to welcome CMIPA into its network, expanding its innovative Accountable Care model to serve more patients throughout Central Massachusetts and benefiting existing patients by improving quality and managing health care costs.
The partnership aims to facilitate the entry of more patients into the kind of accountable care model being encouraged by state and federal health care officials as part of broader efforts to control costs and improve care. In that model, the provider assumes some of the risk associated with health care costs, incentivizing preventative care and better coordination between physicians, specialists, and other members of the health care team.
CMIPA physicians will now accept a broader set of insurance plans – another key benefit for consumers. The arrangement will increase consumer choice and will strengthen the exceptional, high-quality care currently provided by approximately 200 CMIPA physicians. CMIPA referral relationships with central Massachusetts acute care facilities will not be affected by the proposed arrangement and will remain in place.
“Steward’s approach is all about keeping patients healthy and emphasizing coordinated, preventative care. Health care is moving towards an emphasis on keeping patients healthy – not just treating them in a hospital when they’re sick,” said Dr. Mark Girard, President of the Steward Health Care Network. “Patients in Central Massachusetts deserve to benefit from the new focus on coordinated care. Connecting CMIPA to the Steward Health Care Network will align these exceptional physicians with our leading Accountable Care model. It will benefit Central Massachusetts residents from both patients and a consumer perspective.”
Gail Sillman, the CEO of CMIPA, views the deal with CMIPA as both a plus for patients and physician members and the Central Massachusetts marketplace, “Steward Health Care Network is a national leader in the accountable care model and will be a game changer in Central Massachusetts, creating new competition and partnerships in the region. They have invested heavily in technology and infrastructure and this partnership will allow CMIPA to retain its local autonomy and access the more sophisticated population health tools and resources to better manage our population across the entire spectrum of care.”
This sentiment is echoed by Dr. Wayne Glazier, President of Central Massachusetts Independent Physician Association who feels that the alignment with Steward Health Care Network “will help to improve care while advancing an accountable care model that Steward has pioneered and which has been proven to help control costs and create better outcomes for patients. With coordination between Steward and our physicians, we can ensure that CMIPA physicians are part of their leading effort to deliver world-class care to the entirety of Massachusetts – not just downtown Boston. Achieving the quality and cost benefits of a robust accountable care model on our own would not have been possible, so this is a win-win for our physicians and our patients.”
Member physicians of CMIPA voted to approve their executive committee’s recommendation to move forward with the partnership. Established as a physician-run organization in 1998, CMIPA today represents more over 200 physicians, consisting of both community-based physicians and employed physicians and provides health care services to more than 30,000 patients. They will join Steward’s 3,000 providers who serve communities across eastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and northern Rhode Island.
Steward’s Accountable Care model has earned national recognition for its success in providing quality healthcare services to patients while helping manage costs. The Steward-CMIPA partnership will be subject to the standard state review process.
About Central Massachusetts Independent Physician Association
Established in 1998, the Central Massachusetts Independent Physicians Association is a physician-governed organization that provides support, services and equity to independent physicians in Central Massachusetts. We strive to develop cohesive relationships among our members/providers to ensure that patients receive timely access to healthcare services. Our collective strength enables our members to manage their practices efficiently and to receive fair compensation for the care they provide. We provide tools and data so that our members can practice with the best-available technology and most up-to-date clinical information. We seek to build relationships with hospitals, health plans and community agencies to support our mission and to enhance quality healthcare for our patients.
About Steward Health Care
Steward Health Care is the largest fully integrated health care services organization and community hospital network in New England. Headquartered in Boston, Steward is one of the five largest employers in Massachusetts with more than 17,000 employees in more than 150 communities. Steward is comprised of Steward Medical Group, Steward Health Care Network, and Steward Hospital Group. Steward Medical Group provides approximately 1 million patient encounters per year at 152 sites and manages homecare and hospice with 300,000 and 35,000 encounters respectively. Steward Health Care Network, a fully integrated care management company, has 3,000 physicians, with approximately 4 million patient encounters per year and affiliates or joint ventures with approximately 30 urgent care centers. Steward’s Hospital Group includes Norwood Hospital, Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, Carney Hospital in Dorchester, Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, Holy Family Hospital in Haverhill and Methuen, Morton Hospital in Taunton, and New England Sinai Hospital in Stoughton. Additional information is available at www.steward.org.