Dennis Buhring, CEO of Physician Associates LLC, said Central Florida’s first commercial accountable care organization had a soft landing Jan. 1.
Physician Associates, which was purchased by Orlando Health Inc. in a $50 million deal that closed Jan. 1, said it has signed a contract with Cigna to bring the Cigna Collaborative to an estimated 30,000 Central Florida patients this year. The agreement was signed in fourth-quarter 2012.
Buhring said Cigna is rolling it out now, with employers having to pay an opt-in fee. The plan includes population health, care coordination between primary care, specialists and the hospital, as well as specific quality improvement guidelines.
The ultimate goal: Improve quality and lower costs.
“I think that’s very exciting,” Buhring said. “We’ve been talking about it and talking about it, and it’s here.”
Click here for a primer on commercial accountable care organizations, or ACOs.
Additionally, Buhring said they’re on track to contract with Aetna, Blue Cross & Blue Shield and AvMed Health Plans as well in 2013.