Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and Regence BlueShield Launch Accountable Health Network

Dec. 14, 2022

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) and Regence BlueShield today announced they are partnering on an accountable health network that will provide affordable, accessible and high-quality care to patients across the Puget Sound region. 

The Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Accountable Health Network (VMFH AHN), which will launch Jan. 1, 2023, in King, Pierce and Kitsap counties, will lead to greater collaboration between primary care providers and specialists to help VMFH patients and Regence members reach optimal health outcomes at an affordable cost.

Physicians who are part of the VMFH AHN will operate under a value-based care model, in which provider payments are tied to quality vs. quantity of care.

“We are excited to partner with Regence to offer our patients an additional network option to ensure they can continue receiving high-quality care while experiencing better clinical outcomes,” said Dhyan Lal, Division Vice President of Payer Strategy and Accountable Care at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. “The AHN is part of our commitment to high-quality care, both before and during the pandemic, as exemplified by our recent recognition from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Group and performance in the Washington Health Alliance’s Community Check-up for Medical Groups.”

Since 2013, Regence has increased its number of value-based arrangements with providers. Regence’s VBAs across its four-state footprint have shown significant improvements in care outcomes and savings over more traditional payment models.

"We are always looking for partners who can help deliver excellent, innovative and cost-effective care to our members,” said Denise Corcoran, vice president of network management for Regence BlueShield. “We are thrilled to work with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, one of the largest health systems in the Pacific Northwest, on a new network that will cut costs and improve care for patients.”

The new VMFH AHN includes the Franciscan Medical Group, Virginia Mason Medical Center physicians and many key physician groups that currently participate in the Rainier Health Network. The AHN’s hospitals are Virginia Mason Medical Center (Seattle); St. Anne Hospital (Burien); St. Anthony Hospital (Gig Harbor); St. Clare Hospital (Lakewood); St. Elizabeth Hospital (Enumclaw); St. Francis Hospital (Federal Way); St. Joseph Medical Center (Tacoma); and St. Michael Medical Center (Silverdale).

About Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is an integrated health system serving the Puget Sound region, offering access to some of the country's most prestigious experts and hospitals that are internationally known for superior quality. With a team of 18,000 team members, including nearly 5,000 employed physicians and affiliated providers, we unite the brightest health care minds in the region to provide world-class clinical excellence at 10 hospitals and nearly 300 sites of care throughout the Puget Sound area. We are proud to be the home of Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS, and Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research. We embrace our community's uniquely vibrant, active culture by providing holistic, personalized and patient-centered care. We are committed to caring for the most vulnerable in our communities, especially the poor and underserved, providing more than $300 million in community benefit – free, subsidized, and reduced cost health care and programs.

About Regence BlueShield 

Regence BlueShield has been providing health care solutions to Washingtonians in select counties for more than a century. As a taxpaying nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Regence is part of a family of companies dedicated to transforming health care by delivering innovative products and services that change the way consumers nationwide experience health care. For more information, please visit regence.com, facebook.com/regenceblueshieldwa or twitter.com/regencewa.