The Health Plan and West Virginia University Health System to Form New, Fully Integrated Health Care Network
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WHEELING -- The West Virginia University Health System — operating under the brand WVU Medicine — and The Health Plan of West Virginia, a managed care organization with headquarters in Wheeling and operating throughout West Virginia, announced today their intent to come together to form a fully integrated health care delivery and financing system for the people of West Virginia.
Jim Pennington, president and CEO of The Health Plan, said, "This is the marriage of two great West Virginia brands that want to come together with the shared vision and goal of creating a healthier West Virginia. When you align and integrate both the provider and payor around specific and measurable outcomes related to health, we believe we will see significant improvements."
Albert L. Wright Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said, "This new partnership and alignment is a homegrown way to care for West Virginians more effectively and efficiently. By aligning and integrating our two organizations and by leveraging our respective expertise in a more coordinated fashion, we can deliver better outcomes to the people of West Virginia. The Health Plan will also continue to build collaborative, value-based partnerships with other health systems and independent providers in West Virginia."
The goal of this new alignment and partnership is to improve the health of all West Virginians by providing them access to a highly coordinated and seamless system of care, one that provides the highest quality of care in the most efficient and affordable manner possible. Examples of fully integrated health care delivery systems include Geisinger in Danville, Pennsylvania; Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, Texas; and Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California.
Through this new and fully integrated network, The Health Plan will become a member and subsidiary of the West Virginia University Health System but will continue to operate as a community-based, not-for-profit corporation.
Officials said studies have found that establishing a fully integrated network such as this can help the U.S. health care system achieve the triple aim of healthcare reform: providing better quality care at a lower cost while focusing on population health.
The specific terms of the partnership are subject to the approval of the boards of both organizations. "Prior to the final approval by the respective governing bodies, the two organizations will be engaged in an extensive due diligence process," according to a WVU statement.