Partners Healthcare

At a time when health care costs are an increasing concern for patients and their families and are squeezing budgets for cities and towns, it is critical for providers and insurers to work together to find solutions. Partners HealthCare is taking yet another step in that direction, announcing a renegotiation with Tufts Health Plan. By ripping up the last two years of our previous agreement with Tufts, we are able to offer patients across Massachusetts more than $105 million in savings over the next four years. Combined with a similar announcement last fall, total savings to be passed back to consumers stands at $345 million over the next four years.

Beyond the cost savings, however, this program is important because it is an opportunity for Partners HealthCare to pursue our mission of providing high-quality care. As part of the agreement, Partners will enter into Tufts’ Coordinated Care Model (CCM), which means that it will be our responsibility to meet or exceed quality measures while keeping cost-growth lower than the average of the rest of the Tufts Health Plan provider network. Through our partnership with Tufts, we will be able provide coordinated, high-quality care at more affordable rates.

But, we are not only working with insurers. More recently, Partners was selected to partner with the Federal Government as one of just 32 Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) in the nation. As one of five health care providers in the Boston area to be chosen, the Partners Pioneer ACO will be part of a market-shifting initiative that holds the promise of lower costs and improved care for Medicare patients by focusing on their overall health and wellness.

Our patients expect that we will work together with employers, insurers and government leaders to improve the value of the quality care they receive, and our renewed partnership with Tufts Health Plan reflects this commitment.