Humana Inc. has become an equity partner in the Delaware Valley Accountable Care Organization (DVACO), which was initially established as a joint venture between Main Line Health and Jefferson Health, two of the Philadelphia region’s largest health systems,
DVACO operates under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). It is the region’s largest Medicare ACO with more than 2,000 physicians and 90,000 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. Additionally, DVACO currently holds multiple performance-based contracts with private payers as well as the employees and dependents of its owners—enhancing DVACO’s total number of beneficiaries to above 250,000.
The agreement with Humana will provide DVACO the ability to build more infrastructure to support performance in population-based and value-based contracting and enhance STAR quality ratings; as well as access to advanced analytics and expertise in patient and physician engagement strategies and network management.
“We established the DVACO to lead the way in improving health in our region by embracing and advancing value-based care. We are excited by the opportunity to add such a well-respected expert in managing population health—with a proven track record of success—to our partnership,” said John J. (Jack) Lynch, president and CEO of Main Line Health, in a statement. “This new agreement allows us to continue building on the foundation DVACO has created and bring even more support to our payer partners’ programs, physicians, care teams and, most importantly, patients.”
“We look forward to working alongside Main Line Health, Jefferson Health and all of DVACO’s partners to further expand the organization’s impact, particularly in caring for those who are seriously ill or medically vulnerable, while also addressing social determinants of health,” said Oraida Roman, vice president of Value-Based Strategies at Humana, in a statement. “We are excited by the future we can create together and the positive impact we have in the lives of those we serve. It’s important for Humana to provide the support and resources that help patients and providers transition from fee-for-service to value-based care models because we know value-based care can not only improve health outcomes but also strengthen the healthcare system.”
