Partners Healthcare

Health care costs are increasing at an unsustainable rate. But as they threaten to crowd out other societal priorities like education and public safety, we must be thoughtful in how we approach cost control while at the same time improving the quality of care. Instead, providers and insurers alike must pursue innovative new ways to work together to deliver care; there is a marketplace expectation for all of us to do so.

Partners HealthCare is committed to tackling some of health care’s toughest challenges, and we have already implemented both short- and long-term solutions.

I am pleased to announce that we recently renegotiated a contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBS) that will effectively reduce the growth in insurance premiums by nearly a quarter-billion dollars over the next three years. As part of this agreement, Partners will enter into BCBS’ Alternative Quality Contract, an innovative global payment model with a goal to halt the growth of health care spending by emphasizing the quality and value of care over sheer volume. This model is directly aligned with our own ongoing efforts to redesign care, focusing on specific disease conditions and our move to a patient-centered medical home for primary care.

This partnership with BCBS, along with our care redesign initiative, is not our final step. We are currently in discussions or planning discussions with other insurers. At Partners HealthCare, we want to remain at the forefront of finding effective, long-term solutions to stemming costs and improving care.