Regional News/West: McLaren Health Care takes stake in SharedClarity, and other news

McLaren Health Care Corp. is the latest health system to take an ownership stake in SharedClarity, a joint venture that pairs UnitedHealthcare's claims data with clinical data, medical studies and physician input to improve purchasing decisions for high-priced medical devices.

McLaren, a Flint, Mich.-based system that operates nine hospitals, joins Advocate Health Care, Baylor Scott & White Health, and Dignity Health as owners of SharedClarity. The Phoenix-based venture, which Dignity Health and UnitedHealthcare formed in 2012, launched in April of last year.

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Providence Health & Services intends to affiliate with Pacific Pacific Medical Centers, a multispecialty medical group with nine locations and 150 physicians in the Seattle area.

Financial terms were not disclosed for the transaction, which is expected to be completed by the end of March.

The deal is reminiscent of Providence's 2012 acquisition of Swedish Health Services, also in Seattle. Providence, a Catholic system, will fold the group, also known as PacMed, into its secular Western HealthConnect division. That structure will allow PacMed to retain its secular identity.

In that way, PacMed physicians won't be bound to follow the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, and can still prescribe contraceptives, perform sterilizations and consult on end-of-life decisions under Washington state's Death With Dignity Act, according to a news release.

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