North State Quality Care Network (NSQCN) Improves Quality and Outcomes for Patients While Saving Medicare over $4M in the Last Performance Year

REDDING, Calif. – North State Quality Care Network (“NSQCN”), a physician-led, clinically integrated network (CIN) serving Northern California patients, providers and employers through a value-based approach to healthcare, saved Medicare over $4 million in its latest performance year – the only CIN network in California participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program to do so.

NSQCN’s participating physicians and hospitals are committed to implementing initiatives improving quality care, patient outcomes, as well as efficiency and cost of the care provided. A properly designed clinical integration program also allows NSQCN to negotiate jointly with commercial insurers, Medicare Advantage Plans, and local self-insured employers for improvements in reimbursement based on ability to achieve quality benchmarks.

“North State Quality Care Network has repeatedly proved that it is possible to realize healthcare savings by focusing on value, quality, consumer experience and compassionate care, rather than simply efficiency and reductions in healthcare coverage,” said NSQCN Executive Director, Rosa Vicente-Soito. “We are committed to providing the best value-based care to the North State community by focusing on quality outcomes, thus demonstrating that we can truly reduce healthcare costs while building healthier communities.”

In the latest performance year (2019), NSQCN simultaneously reduced short-term in-patient hospitalizations and emergency department visits for approximately 9,000 attributed beneficiaries while maintaining a 92% overall quality rating, showing an increase in quality in each of the last three years. This type of consistent and successful performance in both governmental and commercial health plans is rare in the industry.

The organization currently manages over 22,000 patients across Shasta and Tehama Counties and partners with a growing network of 160 providers and three Dignity Health North State Hospitals (Mercy Medical Center Redding, St. Elizabeth Community Hospital and Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta).

About North State Quality Care Network

The North State Quality Care Network (NSQCN) was established to help local physicians unite in a proactive, common sense approach to health care reform. NSQCN is a physician-driven and physician-led network that includes members of the medical staff at Dignity Health North State hospitals (Mercy Medical Center Redding, Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta, and St. Elizabeth Community Hospital). Our model is focused on building an integrated, cost-efficient clinical network capable of embracing and successfully implementing changes in the way health care is delivered across the care continuum.