The ACO from Blue Cross NC and Caravan will help address these challenges. Providers will have access to Caravan's methodologies and resources to help them measure and improve quality. These resources include enhanced data analytics, patient engagement technologies and accountability tools, and on-the-ground support from a regional team.

How Blue Premier Works
Blue Premier is one of the most rapid and comprehensive shifts to value-based care in the nation by any health plan. Under value-based care, provider pay is based on quality of care, not on the quantity of procedures, tests and appointments performed.

Blue Premier agreements cover multiple years and build toward shared financial risk between Blue Cross NC and providers, which sets Blue Premier apart from other value-based care arrangements. Eight of North Carolina's largest health systems, plus more than 200 independent primary care practices, already are in Blue Premier, and future expansion will take value-based care to more areas of the state. Providers in Blue Premier collaborated with Blue Cross NC to generate an estimated $153 million in cost savings, quality improvements and a slowdown in the rate of spending on health care in 2019, the program's first year.

How Caravan Health Works
In 2018, Caravan Health pioneered its collaborative ACO model to help providers earn strong, predictable results in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Larger size is critical to create the scale needed for ACO success. The new health system participants will join a Caravan family of more than 250 health systems, 26,000 clinicians, and over 585,000 attributed Medicare lives. Caravan ACOs lead the nation each year, returning more than $108 million in total shared savings to providers and saving Medicare more than $191 million since 2015 while delivering high scores for quality.

In North Carolina, providers in the Blue Premier ACO will mitigate their risk through Caravan's risk-sharing solution, which focuses on practice transformation and achieving quality goals.

The Caravan Health and Blue Cross NC teams plan to launch the ACO in January 2021. North Carolina hospitals interested in participating may contact a Caravan Health representative to learn more at caravanhealth.com/contact.


About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) is committed to making health care better, simpler, and more affordable. We have been driving better health in North Carolina since 1933, working to tackle our communities' greatest health challenges. Blue Cross NC serves its customers and communities of more than 3.8 million members, including approximately 1.1 million on behalf of other Blue Plans. Visit Blue Cross NC online at http://www.bluecrossnc.com.

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