Bellin Health Partners, Dickinson County Healthcare to Collaborate
GREEN BAY/IRON MT. — Bellin Health Partners and Dickinson County Healthcare System (DCHS) have entered into a collaborative clinical relationship focused on improving care and reducing healthcare costs for employers and individual consumers.
“We are two strong, independent regional healthcare systems with the shared mission of improving health in this region through top quality healthcare and reducing the cost associated with that care,” said John Schon, Dickinson County Healthcare System administrator and CEO. “We advance this mission by leveraging innovative strategies, including collaboration with others. In Bellin Health Partners, we’ve found a strong clinical partner.”
Bellin Health Partners is an accountable care organization affiliated with Bellin Health. The organization is comprised of independent health systems, hospitals, clinics and providers looking to share best practices, advance clinical quality and value to customers, develop joint initiatives and offerings, and broaden the services available to consumers, said Dr. Saied Assef, president of Bellin Health Partners.
Bellin Health Partners and Dickinson County Healthcare System are steadfast that this is not a merger, or the precursor to one, but an opportunity to clinically integrate in an effort to meet the changing expectations and methods of payment for healthcare.
“This is a new era in healthcare and it presents an opportunity to better understand the needs of consumers and focus on quality initiatives as a way to help control costs,” said George Kerwin, president and CEO of Bellin Health. “This clinical collaboration is great news for consumers and employers in and around the Upper Peninsula who are looking to control the cost of providing healthcare coverage while improving the health of their employees.”
Through the collaboration, Dickinson County Healthcare System and its affiliated physicians will participate in Bellin Health Partners, a physician-led accountable care organization and network of healthcare organizations and providers. The participation of DCHS elevates Bellin Health Partners’ ability to better provide products and services to health insurance organizations and allows Dickinson to extend its mission to more consumers.
About Bellin Health Partners
Bellin Health Partners ACO is an accountable care organization affiliated with Bellin Health that includes more than 250 primary care and specialty physicians, along with advanced care practitioners, working together to coordinate all phases of patient care. Services are conveniently provided at over 40 locations throughout Northeast Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and are designed to provide care at the appropriate level and convenience for each individual. Bellin Health Partners is a participant in the CMS Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model.
About Dickinson County Healthcare System
Servicing Northern Wisconsin and the Central Upper Peninsula for 65 years, Dickinson County Healthcare System (DCHS) is a Community Hospital with a team of more than 90 active physicians and each year treats over 200,000 patients. DCHS employs more than 850 staff members, is the major employer in the Dickinson County area, and is a large contributor to the economic wellbeing of our community. Most recently recognized by Healthgrades Analytics as being in the top 5% of the Safest Hospitals in the nation, DCHS has also been acknowledged by several other independent healthcare analytics agencies for exceptional Patient Safety and Services. The recent awards are a testament to how well the Hospital and its Physicians care for its patients and confirm the progress towards keeping the community safe and healthy.