SACRAMENTO and OAKLAND, Calif. — Sutter Health and Blue Shield of California have agreed to expand their network relationship with a focus on improving health outcomes, enhancing patient experience and improving care for patients with chronic illness.

The new multi-year agreement between the two leading healthcare organizations extends the current one that was set to expire at the end of this year. The early signing of the agreement provides stability and certainty for community members, many who are now considering their health plan options during open enrollment.

This means patients enrolled in Blue Shield’s commercial HMO, EPO and PPO plans will continue to receive in-network care from Sutter’s trusted team of doctors, nurses and clinicians — all part of a connected network dedicated to delivering high-quality, comprehensive care across Northern California and the Greater Central Coast, including Santa Barbara.

“We are taking a more collaborative approach in how we develop relationships and contract with payors — one that’s directly focused on serving our shared patients, members and communities,” said Warner Thomas, president & CEO of Sutter Health. “Through our new process, we successfully reached a timely, comprehensive agreement with Blue Shield that ensures patients keep seamless access to the doctors, clinicians and nurses who care for them, as together we focus on care coordination, quality, affordability and the overall healthcare experience.”

“As a nonprofit health plan, Blue Shield’s top priority is to provide our members access to quality, affordable care. Strong provider-health plan partnerships are critical to achieving that,” said Mike Stuart, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California. “This partnership with Sutter Health demonstrates how collaboration enables healthcare that works for members and their loved ones.”

The new network relationship also includes collaborations to improve patient experience and health:

• Better Health Outcomes: The new agreement focuses on recognizing and rewarding excellence in clinical outcomes — ensuring patients receive consistently high-quality care across Sutter Health.
• Enhancing Patient Experience: Expansion of electronic health record access between Blue Shield and Sutter Health to support better care coordination, minimize delays and elevate the overall healthcare experience for patients.
• Expanding Care for Chronic Conditions: In collaboration with Blue Shield, Sutter is participating in an accountable care organization designed to serve HMO and PPO patients managing multiple chronic conditions — aiming to improve care quality and make healthcare more affordable.

For a full list of Blue Shield plans that include access to Sutter’s doctors, hospitals and services, visit sutterhealth.org/health-plan. Blue Shield members with questions can call the toll-free number on the back of their member ID card for help.