Astrana, Physician Association of California Partner on Value-Based Care

The Physician Association of California (PAC) and Astrana Health Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTH), announced a collaboration to help independent primary care physicians remain independent and succeed in an increasingly complex healthcare system.

Established in 2023, PAC has more than 15,000 members and is California’s only trade association solely focused on protecting and advocating for independent and small-practice physicians. 

Astrana says it combines its scalable care delivery infrastructure, proprietary technology platform, and aligned provider networks to enable proactive, preventive care at scale. The company supports more than 20,000 providers and approximately 1.55 million patients in value-based care arrangements through its affiliated provider networks, management services organization, and integrated care delivery clinics spanning primary, specialty, and ancillary care. Astrana operates four ACOs in 2026 across the MSSP and REACH programs, serving over 75,000 beneficiaries and has delivered positive gross shared savings for 12 consecutive years.

The partners say that independent primary care providers today face mounting pressures from fragmented technology, disconnected vendors, and rising reporting and administrative demands.

Astrana says it is replacing that fragmentation with a simplified, AI-powered operating platform built in-house that empowers physicians to succeed in accountable care relationships. By integrating care delivery, data, and financial infrastructure into a single system, Astrana seeks to enable physicians to focus on patients – not portals.

Through this collaboration, Astrana's Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) will provide PAC physicians with care coordination, population health infrastructure, and value-based care capabilities designed to improve outcomes while reducing administrative burden.

"This collaboration with Astrana Health will help give physicians in private practice the tools they need to serve their Medicare beneficiaries more effectively and affordably," said Matthew Robinson, CEO of the Physician Association of California, in a statement. "Astrana's ACO platform brings together the tools, support, and financial alignment needed to help private practices compete and thrive."

PAC physicians participating in Astrana's ACO programs will gain access to:
• Enhanced ACO participation pathways designed for independent and small-group practices;
• Care management and patient engagement programs, including on-the-ground clinical and care navigation teams, that reduce administrative burden and improve the patient experience;
• Actionable analytics and performance insights at the point of care to drive quality and outcomes in accountable care;
• Dedicated operational support aligned to provider success and outcomes; and
• Incremental revenue opportunities, including in-year incentives and year-end shared savings, tied to performance and quality.

In its first-quarter earnings, Astrana had total revenue of $965.1 million, up 56% from $620.4 million in the same period last year, with earnings of 29 cents per share, up 107% from 14 cents per share in the same period last year.