Arkansas Children’s Care Network Collaboration

Success strategy: An employer-focused model

Providing population health and care management serving employer contracts has been critical to Arkansas Health Network’s (AHN) success. In 2018, AHN launched a industry unique partnership with Arkansas Children’s Care Network (ACCN), and statewide pediatric Clinically Integrated Network (CIN) designed to drive a Direct-to-Employer (DTE) strategy that positively impacts employee health, increases productivity and generates cost savings.

AHN’s exclusive collaboration agreement with ACCN focuses on improving care for both children and adults, helping employees and employers navigate the health care system by providing tools and resources, and engaging them in programs and activities to help them achieve better health.

Anthony Timberlands Inc. is a recent example of this employer group strategy in action. In 2018, AHN partnered with the wood products and timberland management company to help curb health care costs and improve the health of approximately 1,000 employees in its plan. Since then, the company has seen its healthcare claims drop significantly as patients with conditions like extreme hypertension and diabetes were caught early and treated. Read more in this Arkansas Business profile.

Because health care can be complicated for employers to navigate, AHN worked to make it easier for employers to see the big picture by developing an engaging four-minute video. The video provides potential employer and broker clients with a quick, easy-to-understand overview of the AHN and ACCN organizations, their population-health-driven model, and all the benefits their members and company can expect to enjoy.

All of these combined efforts are paying off for the network. In 2018, AHN saved $1.29 million for the CHI St. Vincent Employee Health Plan and was awarded nearly $1 million for successfully managing the QualChoice Advantage Value-Based Care contract’s Quality Improvement Program.

In total, AHN and ACCN are working together for five employer clients in Arkansas with plans to continue expanding in 2021.