Ochsner Health Network Achieves Tier 5 Status in Quality Blue Program

Earns Top Ranking for Population Health and Quality Improvement Performance

New Orleans, La. – Ochsner Health Network (OHN), the largest and most advanced clinically integrated network (CIN) in the Gulf South, has achieved Tier 5 status in Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana’s (Blue Cross) Quality Blue program for fall 2021. The insurer’s population health and quality improvement program is designed to optimize care delivery for patients who live with chronic conditions. OHN achieved the top-tier ranking based on its performance relative to chronic disease care goals. It earned high scores across categories, including Hypertension, Optimal Diabetes Care, Optimal Vascular Care, and Optimal Chronic Kidney Disease Care.

“Louisiana is one of the least healthy states, especially when it comes to chronic diseases. Through Quality Blue and OHN’s model of coordinated care, we are improving outcomes and reducing the likelihood of strokes, heart attacks, and other major life-threatening events,” said Beau Raymond, MD, FACP, Medical Director, OHN. “Earning the top Tier 5 rank reflects OHN’s strong collaboration, aptitude with digital medicine, and ability to scale best practices. The result is evidence-based clinical and quality improvement.”

In Quality Blue, Blue Cross works closely with OHN and others to improve health outcomes and hold the line on costs. The program is designed to transform the Blue Cross primary care network from an episode-driven, physician-based care delivery model to a team-based care delivery model. It improves the identification and management of chronic diseases that are prevalent and burdensome, while providing practices with the data and resources that enable proactive, efficient, high-quality care. Patients benefit from improved care coordination because their doctors have actionable data right at their fingertips to make the most of office visits and promote exceptional health outcomes.

“In Quality Blue, we work more closely than ever with our partners to improve the health and lives of our shared customers – their patients, our members,” said Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, Blue Cross medical director and vice president, Health Quality & Innovation. “Ochsner Health Network’s performance in this program shows what a difference we can make by working together to share data, close gaps in care, boost outcomes and help the patient have a better, easier health care experience.”

Some 59,000 Blue Cross patients receive care through OHN physicians who are part of Quality Blue, representing over 40% of the program’s total Louisiana population. These are patients with Blue Cross insurance who are diagnosed with one or more chronic diseases and have received care from an OHN primary care physician. Within this program, OHN is evaluated as a single entity and compared to peers regardless of size.

“The fact that OHN, the region’s largest CIN, performs so well compared to all others, even single physician offices, speaks to the power of the systems we have in place to ensure collaboration and to deliver value,” Dr. Raymond continued.

Within OHN’s commercial population, it scored 20 out of 20 possible points (Tier 5) for Optimal Diabetes Care as well as Optimal Chronic Kidney Disease Care. In the Blue Advantage population, OHN scored 20 out of 20 possible points (Tier 5) for Hypertension, Optimal Diabetes Care, and Optimal Vascular Care as well as perfect five out of five scores for hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol medication adherence.

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About Ochsner Health Network

A leader in innovative healthcare delivery, Ochsner Health Network (OHN) comprises leading health systems, partner physician groups and affiliated community providers across the greater Gulf South region. OHN is the largest and most advanced clinically integrated network (CIN) in the region and brings select health providers together to improve quality and reduce costs. The nearly 3,000 primary care and specialty care physicians participating in OHN are focused on sharing knowledge, resources, processes and technology to: improve healthcare quality and patient outcomes; center the care delivery model around the patient; develop better coverage solutions for employers and patients; and improve efficiency, thereby reducing the total cost of care.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. Founded in New Orleans in 1934, we are a tax-paying nonprofit health insurer with offices in every major region to serve our customers. We have been recognized for the past three years as an honoree of The Civic 50, named by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. We are a private mutual company, owned by our policyholders, with an independent Louisiana Board of Directors and no shareholders. We invite all Louisianians to visit our website at www.bcbsla.com or talk to us on social media.