Saint Thomas Health (TN) launches MissionPoint Health ACO

A new company launched Wednesday by the Saint Thomas Health hospital system has the goal of getting doctors, employers and patients to work more closely together to trim medical costs and make people healthier under insurance plans. In January, MissionPoint Health Partners will start a pilot project with 6,500 Saint Thomas employees and 8,500 workers of mostly self-insured employers and their dependents. By the time it becomes fully operational a year later, the physician-led program expects to have 35,000 members. The idea is to help stakeholders in a patient's care -- including doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and payers -- get in sync at a time when insurers are pushing for better coordination of care and linking payment amounts to health outcomes. Michael Schatzlein, MD, CEO of Saint Thomas Health, said MissionPoint would work closely with patients, both when they're well and when they're sick.