The Arkansas Health Network (AHN), a physician-led, Clinically Integrated Network (CIN) serving Arkansas patients, providers and employers through a value-based approach to healthcare, saved Medicare $8.1-million in its latest performance year. These earned shared savings mark five-years of record breaking success for AHN. AHN earns shared savings through proactive engagement with vulnerable patients and a suite of innovative programs to address unmet medical, behavioral and social needs. This holistic approach drives positive outcomes for patients, employees and their dependents while generating cost savings for Medicare as well as private employers.

“AHN’s consistent, successful performance engaging with both government and commercial health plans is rare and proves that real change is possible in healthcare by focusing on value vs. benefits, quality vs. quantity and especially patient experience,” said AHN President Bob Sarkar. “The year-over-year savings we’ve earned while improving results for our Medicare patients are the same kinds of results we’re delivering through our growing work with private employers.”

In the latest performance year (2021), AHN managed care for approximately 28,127 attributed Medicare beneficiaries. As the largest and most successful CIN in the state of Arkansas, AHN manages more than 139,000 patients across the state and partners with a growing network of nearly 3,600 providers, 25 Skilled Nursing Facilities and 18 hospitals.

With the rising cost of healthcare growing as a concern for employers across Arkansas, AHN, a wholly owned subsidiary of CHI St. Vincent, has partnered with Arkansas Children’s Care Network and NextHealth to provide a unique health care delivery model designed specifically for employers. The model leverages technology and data analytics to pre-emptively identify high-risk and rising risk patients. These patients are then connected with a care team of registered nurse health coaches, social workers, pharmacists and others to proactively manage their care with an emphasis on preventive, rather than reactive services. The patients’ own physicians are also engaged in this endeavor.