Penn State Health and Accarent Health partner to expand access to advanced heart, vascular and transplant care

Penn State Health and Accarent Health are partnering to expand access to advanced heart, vascular and transplant care for eligible patients whose employers or health plans participate in Accarent Health’s Center of Excellence (COE) specialty care programs.

The partnership connects patients with specialized clinical teams at Penn State Health’s hospitals – including Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital – while helping simplify the coordination and financial complexities often associated with advanced medical treatment.

Initially, the partnership will focus on adult heart transplantation, pediatric and adult stem cell transplantation, and complex cardiovascular procedures for children and adults. Additional specialty care programs may be added to the partnership in the future.

The partnership brings together Penn State Health’s comprehensive and nationally recognized clinical expertise with Accarent Health’s innovative approach to connecting health plans, employers and patients with leading Centers of Excellence through value-based, episode-of-care arrangements.

Through the partnership, eligible patients will have the opportunity to access select complex and specialty procedures at Penn State Health through pre-arranged bundled-care solutions. These arrangements are designed to provide greater predictability around the cost and coordination of care while helping patients navigate complex medical journeys with greater confidence.

“Penn State Health is committed to ensuring that people in our community have access to the highest levels of specialized care when they need it most,” said Kyle Snyder, president and chief operating officer of Penn State Health. “This partnership with Accarent Health extends the reach of our nationally recognized heart, vascular, transplant and pediatric programs while making it easier for patients to connect with those services. By combining clinical excellence with a more coordinated and predictable care experience, we can help patients focus on what matters most: their health and recovery.”

Accarent Health partners with leading health systems and Centers of Excellence to develop bundled payment arrangements around defined episodes of care. Rather than relying solely on traditional fee-for-service reimbursement, Accarent’s model establishes a predetermined episode of care that can include the services required to treat a specific condition or perform a particular procedure.

“Penn State Health represents exactly the type of clinical excellence we seek to make healthcare more accessible through the Accarent platform,” said Timothy Koch, president of Accarent Health. “Their depth of expertise, academic resources and commitment to exceptional patient care make them an important addition to our growing network of Centers of Excellence. We are excited to work together to make complex care more accessible, coordinated and financially predictable for patients, employers and health plans.”

Expanding access to complex care

For patients navigating complex medical conditions, identifying the right provider and understanding the financial implications of treatment can be challenging. Accarent’s model is designed to simplify that process by connecting patients with designated Centers of Excellence and coordinating the episode of care before treatment begins.

For participating health plans and employers, the partnership provides an opportunity to direct members to a high-quality academic health system while establishing greater financial predictability around covered episodes of care.

A patient-centered approach

The partnership reflects the shared commitment of Penn State Health and Accarent Health to providing the best possible patient experience while supporting access to high-quality specialty care.

Eligible patients referred through Accarent will receive assistance navigating their care, including coordination with the participating Penn State Health providers and support throughout the episode of care.

“Complex care can be overwhelming for patients and their families,” Koch said. “Our goal is to remove some of that complexity by helping patients understand where to go, what to expect and how their care will be coordinated. Partnering with Penn State Health enables us to offer that experience close to home for people in central Pennsylvania through a health system with tremendous clinical depth.”

The partnership also provides employers and health plans with another option for directing members to high-performing academic medical centers for specialized care, while supporting Penn State Health’s mission to improve the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

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About Penn State Health

Penn State Health is an integrated academic health system serving patients and communities across 15 counties in central Pennsylvania. It employs more than 21,520 people systemwide. The system includes Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital and Penn State Cancer Institute based in Hershey, Pa.; Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center in Enola, Pa.; Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center in Camp Hill, Pa.; Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center in Lancaster, Pa.; Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading, Pa.; and 2,804 physicians and direct care providers at nearly 200 outpatient practices.

About Accarent Health

Accarent Health is a healthcare solutions company focused on connecting employers, health plans and patients with leading Centers of Excellence through innovative bundled-care and episode-of-care arrangements.

Accarent’s platform is designed to simplify access to complex medical care while creating greater predictability around the cost and coordination of treatment. Through its growing network of leading health systems and specialty providers, Accarent helps patients access high-quality care while providing employers and health plans with innovative approaches to managing complex healthcare costs.

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