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Continuing to be a leader in the “pay-for-equity” movement, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts announced that four of the state’s largest healthcare systems have signed agreements that link financial incentives to improvements in health equity.
The four health systems are Steward Healthcare Network, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Mass General Brigham and Boston Accountable Care Organization Inc., which is part of Boston Medical Center. Together, these systems provide care to more than 550,000 Blue Cross members.
“For more than a decade, we’ve collaborated with physicians and hospitals via our Alternative Quality Contract, which replaced the fee-for-service model and instead rewards clinicians’ efforts to improve the quality and value of the care they deliver,” said Andrew Dreyfus, CEO of Blue Cross, in a statement. “We’re now building on that model to help health systems in our value-based payment programs improve equity. As a health plan, this is the most important tool we have to work toward a health system that provides affordable, quality and equitable care to all our members.”