Henry Ford Health System Launches "Direct to Employer" Healthcare Contract with General Motors

Contract is First of its Kind for Both Organizations

DETROIT – Henry Ford Health System today announced its first ever “Direct to Employer” healthcare contract. The innovative agreement with General Motors will deliver both healthcare management and wellness services to salaried GM employees and their families throughout Southeast Michigan.

General Motors’ new “ConnectedCare” plan option will provide access to more than 3,000 providers from an expansive network of primary care and specialty care doctors spanning the communities where GM employees live. GM ConnectedCare will be added as a new option for the company’s salaried employees’ open enrollment this fall, with service beginning at the start of 2019.

Patients who choose this option will receive a comprehensive range of health care services including primary care, more than 40 specialties, behavioral health services, hospitalization and emergency care as needed, as well as pharmacy and other services.  

“We are honored that General Motors chose Henry Ford for its first direct contract in Southeast Michigan,” said Wright L. Lassiter, III, President and CEO, Henry Ford Health System. “We are very committed to addressing the affordability of healthcare – offering exceptional care while bending the cost curve for consumers in the communities we serve. Given our experience in delivering value-based care, and our extensive physician network, we are uniquely poised to create a truly innovative solution for GM, their employees and families.”

“GM’s upcoming ConnectedCare option comes from our ongoing quest to improve employee health, while also seeking to offset rising health care costs for both the employee and the company,” said Sheila Savageau, U.S. Healthcare Leader, General Motors. “Partnering with a regional health care leader like Henry Ford Health System enables us to provide an innovative new plan option for high quality, affordable care.”

Creating a linkage between providers and employers, GM ConnectedCare is designed to lower costs by improving the overall health and wellness of participants through a connected system with Henry Ford providers.

“We have always believed that one of the most fundamental aspects of improving health and wellness in a truly meaningful way is the long-term patient-physician relationship,” said Adnan Munkarah, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Henry Ford Health System. “We are thrilled to partner with General Motors to make this kind of lasting relationship possible in the lives of their employees and families.”

In addition to its expansive network of doctors across the seven-county eligibility area, Henry Ford was also chosen for the success of its value-based care platform, which includes:

• Integrated electronic medical records systems, allowing physicians in the network to use a common IT platform, avoiding duplicative tests and reducing errors.

• Patient engagement tools, ensuring that at-risk patients receive the support, ongoing management and any interventions they need with robust clinical support programs.

• Innovative physician alignment, to engage healthcare purchasers in value-based solutions that properly align improved patient outcomes with rewards.

“These tools, along with the collaborative network of physicians that we’ve assembled, have enabled us to make an immediate and positive impact on our patients,” said Bruce Muma, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Interim President and CEO, Henry Ford Physician Network. “Additionally, we are actively growing our network of services and creating more innovative partnerships with aggressive goals for quality and efficiency improvements.”

GM ConnectedCare enrollees and family members will have dedicated resources for appointment scheduling and other services, including help with selecting a primary care physician. Participants will have access to same-day or next-day appointments with a primary care physician and the ability to see a specialist within 10 business days. Additionally, they will have access to digital health tools including Henry Ford MyChart, which allows patients to access several virtual visit options at participating clinics, view test results, message their doctor, request prescription renewals and pay bills through their smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.

As part of the multi-year contract, Henry Ford will also help ConnectedCare members keep track of their health with regular wellness exams, monitoring of chronic conditions, and preventive screenings for diseases like colon cancer, breast cancer and depression. The health system will also help members choose the right care options, such as walk-in clinics rather than emergency rooms for minor illness and injury. In addition to monitoring member health outcomes, Henry Ford will measure overall customer satisfaction.

“That’s one of the aspects that really excites us about a direct to employer arrangement like this, said William Conway, M.D., CEO, Henry Ford Medical Group. “It’s a new and unique way to both partner with our patients and to hold ourselves accountable, not just for their health, but also for their level of satisfaction with what we’re doing.”

The GM ConnectedCare program will be available to nearly 24,000 GM salaried employees and their families.

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MEDIA CONTACT:  

Brenda D. Craig
Henry Ford Health System