Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Premera Blue Cross Reach Multi-Year Agreement

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, SEATTLE and TACOMA, Wash., Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Premera Blue Cross and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health today announced a new contract that ensures Premera members will retain in-network access to one of the premier health systems in Washington state.

The multi-year agreement covers Premera-insured patients across Washington, guaranteeing they continue to receive the same high-quality, affordable care from the physicians and care teams they know and trust well into the future.

"Premera's roots in Washington run deep. For nearly 90 years, our commitment to improve our customers' lives by making healthcare work better has never wavered," said Jeff Roe, President and CEO, Premera Blue Cross. "This has been achieved by collaborating with like-minded partners such as Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. By working together, we are making healthcare simpler, easier and more affordable."

Expanding patient access, delivering superb quality and outstanding patient experiences are top priorities for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, and relationships with health plans such as Premera help make those goals possible.

"As a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, we reinvest every dollar generated into the community and ensuring our patients receive world-class care," said Ketul J. Patel, CEO, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. "We are committed to providing affordable care to all who need us and working collaboratively with health plans like Premera to deliver personalized care for all our patients."

"The new contract represents a strong collaboration that will provide stability, lower costs and ensure the very best patient outcomes," said Gary S. Kaplan, MD, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. "Along with Premera, we look forward to serving the people of Washington state for generations to come."

About Premera Blue Cross
Premera Blue Cross is a leading health plan in the Pacific Northwest, providing comprehensive health benefits and tailored services to about 2.5 million people, from individuals to Fortune 100 companies. For more information, visit www.premera.com.

About Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is an integrated health system serving the Puget Sound region of Washington state, offering access to some of the country's most prestigious experts and hospitals that are internationally known for superior quality. With a team of 18,000 team members, including nearly 5,000 employed physicians and affiliated providers, we unite the brightest health care minds in the region to provide world-class clinical excellence at 11 hospitals and nearly 300 sites of care throughout the Puget Sound area. We are proud to be the home of Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS, and Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research. We embrace our community's uniquely vibrant, active culture by providing holistic, personalized and patient-centered care. We are committed to caring for the most vulnerable in our communities, including the poor and underserved, providing more than $300 million in community benefit – free, subsidized, and reduced cost health care and programs.

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health was formed in 2021 by bringing together two leading health systems in Washington state. Our family of hospitals includes Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle; St. Anthony Hospital, Gig Harbor; St. Clare Hospital, Lakewood; St. Elizabeth Hospital, Enumclaw; St. Francis Hospital, Federal Way; St. Joseph Medical Center, Tacoma; St. Michael Medical Center, Silverdale and Bremerton; St. Anne Hospital, Burien; Rehabilitation Hospital, Tacoma; and Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital, Tacoma. Learn more at www.vmfh.org.

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SOURCE Virginia Mason Franciscan Health