NEWARK and HACKENSACK, N.J., Sept.
14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a continuing effort to advance
healthcare innovation in New
Jersey, three of the state's health care leaders are
announcing Braven HealthSM, a Medicare Advantage plan
that will enhance the health care experience for its members living
in eight counties. Braven Health is the first and only New Jersey
Medicare plan owned and operated jointly by the state's most
trusted health insurer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of
New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) and
one of the state's leading health networks, Hackensack Meridian
Health (HMH). To further support this innovation, HMH and
Horizon BCBSNJ are working with RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) to join
Braven Health, subject to approval by the New Jersey Department of
Banking and Insurance. Luisa Y.
Charbonneau is serving as the first chief executive officer
of Braven Health.
Braven Health plans use Horizon BCBSNJ's existing Medicare
Advantage managed care networks, meaning that every doctor and
hospital that participates in those networks, which are among the
largest in New Jersey, will also
be in-network for comparable Braven Health plans. As a Blue Cross
Blue Shield (BCBS) plan, Braven Health's members choosing a PPO
plan will also have access to the BCBS national Medicare Advantage
PPO network whenever outside of New
Jersey.
"Delivering an excellent health care experience while making
health care more affordable requires continued innovation in the
ways we collaborate and operate," Charbonneau said. "As healthcare
companies with impressive track records of working together to
improve health care these are the perfect partners to help Braven
Health be accountable to the customer and bring true innovation to
the Medicare market."
The joint venture stems from years of work the organizations
have done together to advance value-based care through the OMNIA
Health Alliance. Braven Health offers a member-focused health care
experience guided by those who know each member's health best -
their doctors. With more seamless coordination, Braven Health is a
whole new approach to Medicare.
"Today's Medicare eligible New Jerseyan wants a health care
partner that supports their active, vibrant lifestyles. By
providing a health care experience that is comprehensive,
integrated and simple to navigate, Braven Health is a new way to
health for a new generation of Medicare members," said Gary D. St. Hilaire, president and CEO of
Horizon BCBSNJ. "This partnership is the culmination of years of
work together with partners that possess a shared dedication to
health care innovation and patient-centered care. Through Braven
Health, Horizon and its provider partners will share total
responsibility for the cost and quality of the care that our
members receive."
"Finding innovative, effective ways to deliver care is at the
center of everything we do at Hackensack Meridian Health.
Embarking on this partnership with Horizon was a natural
progression in our quest to make health care seamless and less
stressful," said Robert C. Garrett,
FACHE, chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian
Health. "We are a national leader in delivering
high-quality, affordable health care to our Medicare patients
through our Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and
Braven Health provides our Medicare patients with a new option for
care. Additionally, this unique company creates a stronger
partnership with our physicians and practitioners."
Braven Health will have a Practitioner Council made up of
physicians representing various specialties. This council will
provide recommendations to the Braven Health CEO and board of
directors on ways to improve the plan from the practitioner's
perspective, giving them an active role in Braven Health and
helping ensure a better experience for the provider
community.
"At RWJBarnabas Health, we are committed to enhancing access to
the highest quality care for all residents of New Jersey," said Barry H. Ostrowsky, president and chief
executive officer, RWJBarnabas Health. "Today, we are proud to
stand with two organizations who share our vision for enhancing the
health and wellness of our state – namely Hackensack Meridian
Health and Horizon – and I am confident Braven Health will yield
amazing benefits for New Jersey's
Medicare population."
Luisa Charbonneau is an
accomplished senior executive who has over two decades of
leadership in both start-up companies and complex health care
organizations. She served most recently as the senior vice
president at Peerfit, a company dedicated to empowering seniors to
live healthy and active lifestyles. Prior to that she led the
Medicare business as the vice president of Government Markets at
Florida Blue. She has also served as vice president for
Medicare and Government Programs at Coventry Healthcare/Aetna in
Florida, and spent 10 years in a
variety of leadership roles with Humana.
Braven Health represents a major milestone in New Jersey's journey to transform the
fee-for-service health care system and improve health care quality,
affordability, and the customer experience through greater
integration, coordination, and alignment. As New Jersey's first payor-provider owned health
plan, Braven expects to leverage the collective brand strength of
each organization to deliver high-quality, personalized care at a
lower cost.
Consistent with CMS' rules, information about the benefits and
premiums of specific Braven Health Plans will be available on
October 1, 2020 and applications for
coverage will be accepted beginning on October 15, 2020 for coverage that will take
effect on January 1, 2021. Consumers
seeking more information about purchasing a Braven Health Plan can
call 1-833-713-1313.
About Braven HealthSM
Braven
HealthSM is a New
Jersey payor-provider owned health plan. Owned and operated
jointly by a comprehensive health system, Hackensack Meridian
Health, and a trusted health insurer, Horizon Blue Cross
Blue Shield of New Jersey it
offers competitive premium options and comprehensive benefits that
go beyond traditional health insurance to support older adults who
want more from life and more from their health care partners. It
offers Medicare Advantage plans in 8 New
Jersey counties with a broad provider network anchored by
Hackensack Meridian Health and that includes all health care
professionals who participate in Horizon BCBSNJ's managed care
network. To further support this innovation, HMH and Horizon BCBSNJ
are working with RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) to join Braven Health,
subject to approval by the New Jersey Department of Banking and
Insurance. Braven Health is an affiliate of Horizon BCBSNJ and is
licensed by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Learn more at
www.BravenHealth.com.
About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
Horizon Blue Cross Blue
Shield of New Jersey, the state's
oldest and largest health insurer is a tax-paying, not-for-profit
health service corporation, providing a wide array of medical,
dental, vision and prescription insurance products and services.
Horizon BCBSNJ is leading the transformation of health care in
New Jersey by working with doctors
and hospitals to deliver innovative, patient-centered programs that
reward the quality, not quantity, of care patients receive. Learn
more at www.HorizonBlue.com. Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent
licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association serving
nearly 3.5 million members.
About Hackensack Meridian Health
Hackensack
Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care
organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly
integrated health care network in New
Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services,
innovative research and life-enhancing care.
Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from
Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic
medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in
Hackensack, Jersey Shore
University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children's hospitals - Joseph M.
Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital
in Neptune; nine community
hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in
Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in
Brick, Palisades Medical Center in
North Bergen, Pascack Valley
Medical Center in Westwood,
Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old
Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in
Red Bank, and Southern Ocean
Medical Center in Manahawkin; a
behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals -
JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in
Brick.
Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care
locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care
centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and
assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air
medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers,
rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice
locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000
team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in
health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of
the communities it serves.
The network's notable distinctions include having four of its
hospitals are among the top hospitals in New Jersey for 2020-21, according
to U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, the
health system has more top-ranked hospitals than any system in
New Jersey. Children's Health is
again ranked a top provider of pediatric health care in
the United States and earned top
50 rankings in the annual U.S. News' 2020-21 Best Children's
Hospitals report. Other honors include
consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence
from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to
Becker's Healthcare's "150 Top Places to Work in
Healthcare/2019" list.
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is the
largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in
New Jersey, with a service area
covering nine counties with five million people. The system
includes eleven acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center
in Belleville, Community Medical
Center in Toms River, Jersey City
Medical Center in Jersey City,
Monmouth Medical Center in Long
Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in
Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel
Medical Center in Newark, Robert
Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital Somerset in
Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson
University Hospital at Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital Rahway in
Rahway and Saint Barnabas Medical
Center in Livingston, three acute
care children's hospitals and a leading pediatric rehabilitation
hospital with a network of outpatient centers, a freestanding
100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite
emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers,
the state's largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home
care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail
pharmacy services, affiliated medical groups, multi-site imaging
centers and two accountable care organizations.
RWJBH is New Jersey's largest
private employer – with more than 33,000 employees, 9,000
physicians and 1,000 residents and interns – and routinely captures
national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBH's
affiliation with Rutgers University has
created New Jersey's largest
academic health care system. The collaboration aligns
RWJBH with Rutgers' education, research
and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer
Institute of New Jersey - the
state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and
Rutgers University Behavioral Health
Care.
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SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health