Anthem, Wis. system launching ACO

Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care has teamed up with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to launch an accountable care organization. The ACO, known as Blue Priority, was designed for small- to medium-sized Wisconsin employers and self-insured organizations, according to an Anthem news release.

“Through Blue Priority, the two organizations will exchange clinical data, co-manage patient cases and establish quality benchmarks in order to enhance health outcomes while eliminating inefficiencies,” Anthem said.

Blue Priority members will receive care through Aurora's 14 hospitals and its network of clinics, physicians and surgery centers. When members travel outside of Wisconsin, they can access care through the Blue Cross network, a spokesman said.

The Blue Priority network will be available Nov. 1.

It's not the first time Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has formed such an arrangement with a large provider. In Feb. 2011, nine-hospital Franciscan Alliance, Mishawaka, Ind., announced it was forming an ACO with Anthem. And in August of that year, Anthem and the Individual Practice Association Medical Group of Santa Clara County, a San Mateo, Calif.-based medical group that includes more than 800 physicians, launched an ACO.