Cumberland Pediatric Alliance (CPA) is joining the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network (VHAN). The transition of operations is expected to be complete by October.
The announcement comes after a year in which the two organizations worked together to improve the coordination of care and saved more than 9 percent of the expected cost of health care services for children in the Vanderbilt Employee Health Plan.
Through the new affiliation, CPA physicians will become more closely aligned with VHAN’s pursuit of innovative approaches to outcomes-based care while helping to further expand its footprint in an effort to reach pediatricians in other areas of the state.
CPA membership includes 35 pediatric practices with more than 300 pediatricians, all of whom have been invited to join VHAN.
“This is a great opportunity for our providers to partner with other pediatricians throughout the state,” said JoAnn Brundage, executive director of CPA.
“Having a larger and well-established support network will allow for better patient management as well as ensure better access to care for all of our patients.
“We are excited that we will be able to highlight several of our health initiatives including our work with asthma education, behavioral health medication utilization and our emphasis on the co-management of patients with multiple diagnoses,” she said.
“Much of what we have been doing for pediatrics can be carried over into the adult population. We have a successful template in place, which is one of the benefits of joining forces; there is no need to reinvent the wheel.”
Brundage recently sent a letter to her physician membership detailing the partnership affiliation and agreement.
Deepak Mehrotra, M.D., has been with CPA since 2007 and is co-chair of its board.
He is looking forward to the new affiliation and what it will ultimately mean for patients.
“Cumberland becoming part of VHAN is good for both organizations,” said Mehrotra.
“VHAN will gain the quality initiatives established by Cumberland and Cumberland will gain access to better information about the care of our patients as we work to improve quality outcomes. “We look forward to the impact of our shared resources.”
Under the new agreement, CPA will fall under the umbrella of VHAN, a network of high quality physicians and affiliated hospitals organized to provide care in a more integrated and cost-effective manner.
“VHAN’s work with Cumberland Pediatric Alliance has been meaningful and productive,” said Mark Cianciolo, executive director of VHAN.
“By this full commitment to one another, we are confident that outcomes-based pediatric care can be a core competency of our network as we grow across the state and region. “As we transform our approaches to care, the ultimate winners are our patients.”