How Health Plans Achieve High Quality at Low Cost
<p>How do health insurance plans add value to the services physicians, hospitals, and other providers offer to patients? To find out, the authors of a new Commonwealth Fund report identified five high-quality, low-cost plans affiliated with large networks of independent physicians, and asked senior executives at each about the factors that contribute to their plan's effectiveness.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Coauthors Robert A. Berenson, M.D., and Teresa A. Coughlin, M.P.H., of the Urban Institute found that high-performing plans: </p>
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<div>build physician–plan partnerships</div>
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<div>establish themselves as a resource for physician practices</div>
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<div>provide data on physician quality and cost performance </div>
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<div>emphasize a local orientation. </div>
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<p>To learn more about these findings and others, go to: <a href="/publications/fund-reports/2011/mar/success-factors-five-high-quality-low-cost-health-plans">Success Factors in Five High-Quality, Low-Cost Health Plans</a>. <br /></p>