Writer: Esteban Pages
2 min read June 2023 — In an effort to expand patient access to high quality, integrated care, Hackensack Meridian Health, the Garden State’s largest and most comprehensive health network, recently announced an expanded agreement with insurer Amerigroup.
According to U.S. News & World Report, New Jersey ranks No. 13 in healthcare access in the country — an area stakeholders across the state are continually looking to improve upon.
The agreement between the two organizations aims to enhance access to quality healthcare services for Amerigroup’s members. By partnering with Hackensack Meridian Health, the Virginia Beach-based health insurance and managed healthcare provider’s members, effective April 1, will have access to an extensive network of healthcare providers, including Hackensack Meridian’s 18 hospitals, home care services, the lion’s share of Hackensack Meridian physician practices and more than 500 patient care locations throughout New Jersey.
“Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to increasing patient access to high quality, integrated care,” said Patrick Young, president of Population Health, Hackensack Meridian Health via a press release. “We know how important it is for individuals to receive preventive, routine care to maintain their well-being. This partnership will help ensure Amerigroup’s members have access to that care.”
Upgraded centers, such as Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s $2.2 billion, 10,000-square-foot Dr. Robert H. Harris Neuroscience Treatment Center, are also included.
According to the press release, the agreement emphasizes care coordination and integration, which is crucial for providing high-quality healthcare. By collaborating closely, Hackensack Meridian and Amerigroup can streamline the delivery of care, ensuring that patients receive appropriate and timely treatments — as the pandemic further emphasized the importance of the latter. Better health outcomes by addressing fragmented care and bringing preventive, routine care into the mainstream are at the tail end of this improved coordination.
Additionally, population health management initiatives are planned to be made easier and more seamless. By sharing data and collaborating on care management strategies, Hackensack Meridian and Amerigroup can work together to identify health trends, implement preventive measures and manage chronic conditions more effectively.
The agreement follows numerous initiatives and partnerships from Hackensack Meridian, such as the launch of insurance product Braven Health, as a result of a joint venture with RWJBarnabas Health and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and the renewed network agreement with Cigna in September 2021.
READ MORE: Spotlight On: Luisa Charbonneau, CEO, Braven Health
Moreover, it comes at a time of rising healthcare costs in the midst of a dispute between the Murphy administration and insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield. By 2024, Garden State taxpayers will foot a $4 billion bill in healthcare insurance, with state spending being overrun by the pace at which health costs are increasing.
For 2023, New Jersey’s State Health Benefits plan – which counts 816,000 covered workers, both active and retired, is looking at increases by as much as 24%. In Essex County alone, health insurance costs for county workers are estimated to rise an additional $20 million, reaching a total $105 million.
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