Cincinnati Children’s teams with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Ohio to expand HealthVine coordinated care

The organizations aim to improve health outcomes and reduce health costs for Medicaid members

Monday, July 15, 2024

Cincinnati Children’s will collaborate with Anthem and the community to ensure vulnerable children receive the right care in the right setting.

Cincinnati Children’s HealthVine and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid of Ohio have entered into an agreement to improve health outcomes for thousands of Medicaid-enrolled children across eight counties in Southwest Ohio.

Cincinnati Children’s developed HealthVine, a pediatric accountable care organization, to work with community and hospital-based providers to coordinate care and support services for children and their families in Hamilton County as well as the counties of Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Highland and Warren. This new agreement adds 10,600 children to the over 105,000 children HealthVine already serves through other Medicaid plans. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

HealthVine, a network of pediatric and other care providers, supports optimal health and wellness outcomes. Additionally, HealthVine’s care managers support high-risk children and adolescents with significant social and medical complexities. HealthVine will help Cincinnati Children’s and Anthem identify effective clinical practices to reduce overall healthcare costs by prioritizing preventive care for children.

Cincinnati Children’s will collaborate with Anthem and the community to ensure vulnerable children receive the right care in the right setting. This includes partnerships with Federally Qualified Health Centers, health department clinics and community pediatricians for better care integration.

The network is designed to ensure children can access primary care as well as behavioral health services, said Jeff Anderson, MD, a pediatrician who is chief population health officer at Cincinnati Children’s. Anderson oversees HealthVine with Kim Kaas, vice president for Operations-Population Health at Cincinnati Children’s.

“HealthVine’s collaboration with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid of Ohio will benefit many kids and families in Southwest Ohio,” Anderson said. “Cincinnati Children’s excels in coordinating the delivery of pediatric care and quality improvement as well as ground-breaking research to find cures and treatments. Anthem’s expertise in Medicaid managed care plans will help us provide personalized healthcare to meet the needs of children and families.”

“This collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s represents a significant step forward in our ongoing commitment to providing exceptional care for our young members,” said Greg LaManna, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid of Ohio. “By leveraging HealthVine’s comprehensive network and expertise, we are ensuring that children in Southwest Ohio have access to the highest quality care, tailored to their unique needs. This agreement reflects our shared mission to help every child live their healthiest, happiest life.”

About Cincinnati Children's HealthVine

Cincinnati Children’s ranks No. 1 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 listing of Best Children’s Hospitals, and HealthVine is fully integrated across the health system to provide care management, data, quality, finance and information services to guide better patient outcomes for children enrolled in a qualified Medicaid plan. Additional information may be found at healthvine.cincinnatichildrens.org.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Community Insurance Company, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio is available at anthem.com.