7 recent payer partnerships

Payers are adding new services for members and doubling down on value-based care. Here are seven new payer partnerships Becker's has reported since Nov. 15. 

1. SelectHealth will expand to Colorado in 2024, as part of a new partnership between Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare and Aurora, Colo.-based UCHealth. The two health systems said they plan to form a clinically integrated network, bringing together more than 700 physicians, and expand SelectHealth, a nonprofit health plan and subsidiary of Intermountain, to Colorado. 
   
   
2. Several Blue Cross Blue Shield companies formed a medication contracting organization, Synergie Medication Collective, aimed at reducing high specialty drug costs. 
   
   
3. Regence BlueShield and Seattle-based Virginia Mason Franciscan Health partnered to launch an accountable health network Jan. 1 they say will provide "affordable, accessible and high-quality care to patients across the Puget Sound region." Physicians who are part of the network will operate under a value-based care model. 
   
   
4. Patina Health, a startup providing in-home care for older adults, is expanding to Aetna, UnitedHealth and Cigna Medicare Advantage members. The startup was founded with backing from Andreessen Horowitz, Google Ventures and other firms and was previously only available to Independence Blue Cross Medicare Advantage members. 
   
   
5. Superior HealthPlan, a Centene Medicaid managed care plan in Texas, is adding a partnership with mobile home healthcare provider MedArrive, who will serve 40,000 of the plan's beneficiaries. 
   
   
6. Blue Shield of California expanded its collaboration with home health provider DispatchHealth. The in-home, in-person care service will now be available to Blue Shield of California members in Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside counties, in addition to Orange County. 
   
   
7. UnitedHealthcare partnered with AARP to administer the association's Hearing Solutions, which provides affordable hearing aids to members. AARP members will be able to purchase prescription hearing aids starting at $699 per hearing aid through UnitedHealthcare and also have access to discounted pricing on over-the-counter hearing aids.