CUP and CHPW Partner to Serve Clark County Medicaid, Basic Health Plan Patients
06/01/2012
Columbia United Providers (CUP) and the Community Health Plan of Washington (CHPW) announced today that they have formed a new relationship that will allow both organizations to continue serving Clark County Medicaid and Basic Health Plan patients as part of a new state contract, which goes into effect on July 1.
The CHPW/CUP contract solution was approved by the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA), which had excluded CUP and CHPW from its list of selected health plans in Clark County for a new Washington Medicaid Healthy Options and Basic Health Plan contract. CUP, which employs 80 staff members, has successfully administered the Healthy Options and Basic Health programs for Clark County for nearly two decades.
CHPW is a not-for-profit insurer based in Seattle and is celebrating its 20th anniversary of providing managed care to public program enrollees through its community health center-based primary care network.
“Our goal from the start was to keep this critical health care safety net intact for this community,” said Ann Wheelock, CUP President and CEO. “We greatly appreciate the partnership of CHPW in this effort, and the support of providers and residents of the Clark County community who stood behind us over the last several months. Thousands of our physicians, nurses and residents of the Vancouver community wrote to our legislators and the Governor to voice their support for CUP. While this isn’t a direct contract with the HCA, it will allow us to continue being a powerful partner in serving Clark County patients and providers.”
Lance Hunsinger, CHPW CEO, stated, “We are proud that this innovative partnership puts the needs of the patients first by providing continuity and access to high-quality care. Collaborating with community-centered providers is the model of both plans and enables us to deliver excellent health outcomes. The state benefits from maintaining a proven and cost-efficient model of managed care in Clark County.”
“Avoiding disruption to this highly effective provider and care network was our priority,” said Dr. Lisa Morrison, CUP’s Medical Director. “Our local staff nurses, who know our neediest patients and have close relationships with our community providers, play such a critical role in coordinating care in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The right thing to do for our community’s most vulnerable residents was to find a solution that kept the CUP network of care management in place. That was our sole focus from the beginning of this process.”
The State’s current list of approved plans for the July 2012 contract shows a significant shift away from Washington-based plans. Four of the five approved plans are large, multi-state for-profit companies based outside of Washington. The partnership between CUP and CHPW (the only local not-for-profit plan) brings additional balance between in-state and out-of-state plans, and ensures – for Clark County – that adequate provider networks will be in place on July 1.
Columbia United Providers
Columbia United Providers (CUP) is a community-focused, locally run health plan licensed in the State of Washington. CUP has been providing access to quality healthcare services in Clark County since 1995, primarily for the State programs Healthy Options (Medicaid), State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and Basic Health. CUP currently serves over 47,000 local members in these programs. Most of these members are children and women seeking maternity care. CUP employs 80 people at its headquarters in Clark County, Washington.
CUP is part of the PeaceHealth System, supported by a regional network of facilities, medical practices, and health plan entities including PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Foundation, PeaceHealth Medical Group, Family Medicine of Southwest Washington, PeaceHealth Southwest Imaging Center and Southwest Washington Regional Surgery Center.
Community Health Plan of Washington
Community Health Plan provides managed care for more than 275,000 individuals and families throughout Washington State. It is the state’s largest insurer of the Basic Health Plan and the second largest health plan serving members of the state’s Medicaid program, including Healthy Options, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the only insurer for Washington Health Program and Medical Care Services (previously Disability Lifeline). Community Health Plan also offers Medicare Advantage Plans and provides to all eligible members enrollment into Children FirstTM Program which rewards timely pre-natal and well child preventive care. The health plan’s delivery system includes more than 601 primary care clinics, 2,660 primary care providers, over 15,000 specialists, and over a 100 hospitals. More information is found at www.chpw.org.
