We all recognize that health care costs are continuously on the rise. It is estimated that $935 billion is wasted annually in the U.S. health care system. To address these issues, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has created a new way of thinking. One that opens the doors for us to deliver on more value and better care for patients and find innovative ways to partner and collaborate with our providers. Over the past decade, Excellus BCBS has been implementing a program called ACQAs (pronounced aquas) — a better way to deliver on our mission of making high-quality, affordable health care accessible across upstate New York. ACQA stands for Accountable Cost and Quality Agreement. ACQAs are partnerships between Excellus BCBS and a system of local doctors and hospitals. The goal is to end the broken traditional fee-for-service model and instead focus on quality of care delivered, not the quantity of services performed.
For our members, it comes down to better care overall. ACQA partnerships are effective at providing more coordinated care management and better health outcomes for members, as well as the potential for savings across the health care system.
Visit our blog and read more about how ACQAs can provide additional support to your employees.
