Promote High Value System Performance

Cost-Reducing Strategies

Overview

The Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) is working with health plans, hospitals, and physician organizations to highlight examples of cost-reducing strategies – efforts to reduce cost while improving or maintaining quality – that have demonstrated results. OHCA invites health care entities and stakeholders across California to share strategies that help reduce overall system costs and are sustainable for the entity to implement and maintain. These strategies can be a resource to support health care entities in meeting OHCA’s health care spending targets.  

OHCA did not independently verify information about strategies and results provided by health care entities. OHCA does not endorse any specific health care entity or strategy. OHCA has identified these as helpful examples of cost-reducing strategies that can be a resource to health care entities.  

Please see our OHCA Background & Resources page for more information on OHCA.

Proposal Submission Process

OHCA is seeking cost-reducing strategies from health plans, hospitals, and physician organizations. OHCA would like to learn about the successful strategies and innovations you have implemented (full-scale or pilot) to reduce costs while maintaining or improving quality of care. Examples of a cost-reducing strategy may include programs that address specific populations (e.g., complex patients or high utilizers), implementation of best practices for more efficient resource use (e.g., increased use of telehealth), or efforts to improve care coordination (e.g., enhanced data sharing or communication).

To submit a cost-reducing strategy, please complete the online submission form.

If you have questions about the submission process, please email OHCA at ohca@hcai.ca.gov

Strategies

The following are presentations that describe cost-reducing strategies submitted to OHCA and presented to the Health Care Affordability Board.  

Los Angeles General Medical Center

Los Angeles General Medical Center (LA General) is a public academic medical center in Los Angeles County and a Level I trauma center serving more than 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Established in 1878 and affiliated with the University of Southern California, LA General provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services, including acute, specialty, and trauma care, and serves as a major teaching hospital, training more than 900 physicians annually across nearly every medical specialty and subspecialty.

AltaMed

AltaMed, established in 1986, is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that serves over 500,000 patients in Los Angeles County, Orange County, and the San Gabriel Valley. AltaMed has over 67 sites and 2.89 million in-clinic and virtual visits annually. They offer an array of services such as primary care, women’s health, dental care and oral health, pharmacy, radiology, and behavioral health services.

Adventist Health

Adventist Health is a faith-based, nonprofit, integrated health system that serves more than 80 communities in the West Coast and Hawaii. Adventist Health has over 400 sites of care and 26 acute care facilities. They provide care in hospitals, clinics, home care, and hospice agencies in rural and urban communities.

Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield of California is a nonprofit health plan aiming to provide Californians with high-quality, affordable health care. Blue Shield of California is an independent member of the Blue Shield Association with over 4.8 million members and over 7,500 employees. Blue Shield affiliates offer health, dental, vision, Medicaid, and Medicare healthcare services plans in California.

MemorialCare

MemorialCare, established in 1997, is a nonprofit integrated health system in Orange and Los Angeles County that serves about 1.7 million patients each year. The health system includes hospitals, medical groups, a health plan, outpatient health centers, urgent care centers, physical therapy centers, free-standing imaging centers, ambulatory surgical centers, and dialysis centers. MemorialCare offers primary care at over 30 health centers and has 245 sites of care.

Anthem Blue Cross (Elevance)

Anthem Blue Cross (Elevance) is a national health company that serves more than 117 million people across the United States. Anthem Blue Cross is the Elevance health plan in California. Elevance uses an integrated whole health approach and focuses on four core areas – whole health, exceptional experiences, care provider enablement, and a digital platform.

Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group 

Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group (SRSMG), based in San Diego, is a multispecialty group staff model with 538 physicians – 213 primary care physicians and 325 specialists – at 22 locations. In addition to primary and specialty care, services include physical therapy, radiology, laboratory, pharmacy, optical, and urgent care services. SRSMG is part of Sharp HealthCare, a not-for-profit health system. 

Contact

Contact OHCA at ohca@hcai.ca.gov with any questions or comments.