Independence Blue Cross Signs New Three-Year Contracts with Hahnemann University Hospital and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA — May 22, 2012 — Independence Blue Cross (IBC), Hahnemann University Hospital, and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children announced that they have reached agreement on new multi-year contracts. The terms of the new agreements with Hahnemann, St. Christopher’s, and Tenet Physicians, Inc., which contracts for physicians employed by various Tenet subsidiaries, run through December 31, 2014. Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s are part of Tenet Healthcare Corporation’s (NYSE: THC) national network of hospitals.
“Today’s health care environment requires a shared commitment to improve health care quality and affordability for the people we serve. We are proud to collaborate with Tenet Healthcare and specifically with Hahnemann, a nationally recognized teaching hospital, and St. Christopher’s, a renowned children’s hospital, through this agreement,” said Daniel J. Hilferty, IBC president and CEO. “It is the caliber of hospitals like Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s that make the Philadelphia region home to some of the nation’s top-ranking health systems in delivering high-quality care across the spectrum of specialties ranging from cardiology to urology.”
Under the terms of these agreements, IBC members will continue to have access to health care services offered at the two hospitals, their outpatient centers, and more than 300 physicians who are part of Tenet Physicians, Inc. and have privileges at the two hospitals. In step with several health systems and hospitals in the region, both Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s also have agreed to implement IBC’s performance incentive programs — designed to drive and support well-coordinated, higher quality, cost-effective care — bringing good value to IBC members.
“Health care requires dedication, a commitment to quality, passion, and strong leadership skills to achieve positive results,” said Michael Halter, CEO of Hahnemann University Hospital. “We embrace changes in the way that health care will be paid for and delivered, such as the performance incentive programs that IBC has put in place. The executive team, employees, and vitally important medical staff at Hahnemann University Hospital look forward to continuing to work with IBC.”
Carolyn Jackson, CEO of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, said, “We welcome the opportunity to participate in IBC’s incentive program in our quest to continuously improve quality outcomes as we tend to the unique needs of pediatric patients and strive to deliver outstanding customer experiences to the patients and families we serve.”
“IBC strongly believes in making available to its customers a broad network of high quality hospitals and physicians who deliver cost-effective care. We are pleased that our customers will continue to have access to Tenet’s facilities and physicians in Southeastern Pennsylvania,” said Doug Chaet, IBC senior vice president of Contracting and Provider Networks.
About Independence Blue Cross
Independence Blue Cross is a leading health insurer in southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, Independence Blue Cross and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.1 million people. For 74 years, Independence Blue Cross has offered high-quality health care coverage tailored to meet the changing needs of members, employers, and health care professionals. Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit us at ibx.com. Fan us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter@ibx.
Tenet Healthcare Corporation, a leading health care services company, through its subsidiaries operates 50 hospitals, over 100 free-standing outpatient centers and Conifer Health Solutions, a leader in business process solutions for health care providers that serves more than 300 hospital and health care entities nationwide. Tenet’s hospitals and related health care facilities are committed to providing high quality care to patients in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.tenethealth.com.
About Hahnemann University Hospital
Hahnemann University Hospital is a 496-bed academic medical center at Broad and Vine Streets in Philadelphia, Pa. The hospital is a tertiary care institution that specializes in cardiac services, heart failure and transplantation, OB/GYN, orthopedics, medical, surgical and radiation oncology, bone marrow transplantation, renal dialysis and kidney/pancreas/liver transplantation. In 2009, Hahnemann earned Magnet® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®. Hahnemann is recognized by the American Heart Association as a leader in coronary artery disease and heart failure treatments and was named a 2010 Best Hospital for Heart and Heart Surgery by U.S. News and World Reports. The hospital performed one of the city’s first kidney transplants in 1963 and one of the first bone marrow transplants in 1976. Hahnemann became Philadelphia’s first Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center for adults in 1986, and since then has been served by MidAtlantic MedEvac, an aeromedical transport program for critically ill patients. Hahnemann is proud to be the first hospital in Philadelphia to join with The Wellness Community of Philadelphia to offer onsite support and education services to cancer patients and their families. Hahnemann is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. An affiliate of Drexel University College of Medicine, Hahnemann University Hospital is part of Tenet Pennsylvania, which also includes St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. To learn more about Hahnemann, visit www.hahnemannhospital.com.
About St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
Since 1875, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children has been providing exceptional patient care and advancing new pediatric treatments through research and innovation. Through affiliations with Drexel University College of Medicine and Temple University School of Medicine, St. Christopher’s is a teaching hospital helping to train the next generation of professionals in pediatric medicine. The 189-bed hospital is committed to delivering high quality family- and patient-centered care to children from throughout the Philadelphia area and around the world. Its highly acclaimed programs include its Level I Pediatric Trauma Center; Level IIIC NICU, which is the highest NICU designation; Heart Center, Oncology/Transplant; as well as its Burn Center, which is the only dedicated pediatric burn center in the area. St. Christopher's Hospital is recognized for nursing excellence through its designation as a Magnet® institution by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a distinction achieved by fewer than six percent of health care institutions nationwide. To learn more about St. Christopher’s, visit www.stchristophershospital.com.
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Contacts:
Karen Godlewski
Independence Blue Cross
215-241-3113
Karen.Godlewski@ibx.com
Rick Black (for media)
Tenet Healthcare
463-893-2522
Rick.Black@tenethealth.com
Thomas Rice (for investors)
Tenet Healthcare
469-893-2614
Thomas.Rice@tenethealth.com
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