North Dakota Blue Cross Pushes Quality Pay

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota just began a partnership with the state’s hospitals and clinics that aims to provide residents with a patient-centered medical home model to health care.

Officials with the Fargo, N.D.-based company said the model is part of a gradual shift from fee-for-service to quality-of-care based payments. A time frame for the switch isn’t set, but Julie Blehm, BCBSND’s senior medical director, said Blue Alliance will take into account Medicare’s goal of having 50 percent of its population in value-based programs by the end of 2018 and the plan will serve Medicare patients. Blue Alliance ...