Intermountain Healthcare has formed a new company to help disseminate some lessons the Utah-based integrated health system has learned in the shift to value-based care. Among other things, the new company is offering digital tools to address virtual care, patient experience and social determinants of health.
The new company, named Castell, will enable other organizations to accelerate their transition from volume to value-based systems of care, while keeping care more affordable and accessible, Intermountain said.
Intermountain has a track record of spinning out internal innovations into new companies. One example is a company called Empiric Health that addresses variation in costs and outcomes for both clinicians and administrators. Its initial solution was based on Intermountain’s ProComp program built by clinicians to help understand how differences in the way surgical procedures are performed impacts outcomes and overall cost of care.
Intermountain said Castell would offer a comprehensive platform of tools and services to support transformation and improvement:
• A proven value-based clinical care model called “Reimagined Primary Care”
• A technology and analytics platform to guide care
• Streamlined affiliated network management
• Digital tools to address virtual care, patient experience, and social determinants of health
• Access to cutting-edge initiatives and innovation coming out of Intermountain Healthcare
• Opportunity to utilize care pathways and clinical best practices developed by Intermountain Healthcare
In 2018, Intermountain introduced its “Reimagined Primary Care” model for physicians and patients, which is now being extended to more providers through Castell. This focus on preventive care enabled physicians to spend more time with high-risk patients to get upstream of potential health issues. After just one year, the program produced strong results, Intermountain said, including:
• 60% reduction in Medicare Advantage admissions
• 25% fewer commercial insurance admissions
• 20% decreased per-member per-month costs
• Improved patient ratings
• Improved physician satisfaction
Rajesh Shrestha has been named as the president and CEO of Castell. In addition to leading Castell, Shrestha serves as vice president and chief operating officer of community-based care for Intermountain. “Healthcare’s ongoing shift from volume to value-based systems of care enables providers, health systems, and payers to take a more holistic approach to managing the health of their patients, but also creates more financial risk or rewards,” said Shrestha, in a statement. “The health platform capabilities, tools, and resources that Castell provides will strengthen the ability of the health ecosystem to thrive in a value-based care environment.”
