On Wednesday, UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer, announced that it expects the value of its provider contracts tied to quality and cost-efficiency measures to more than double in the next five years. Already topping $20 billion a year, UnitedHealthcare predicts its contract reimbursements to hospitals, physicians and ancillary care providers linked to accountable care will hit $50 billion by 2017.
United says it “is placing much greater emphasis on rewarding care providers for better care and lower costs” and plans to reduce dramatically its basic fee-for-service contracts. The company currently has accountable care relationships with more than 575 hospitals, 1,100 medical groups and 75,000 physicians nationwide.
