Bay Area Accountable Care Network Takes Shape

The Bay Area Accountable Care Network, which was established last year by UCSF Health and John Muir Health, has changed its name to Canopy Health and brought on new hospitals and physicians groups as it builds its network throughout the Bay Area.

In the past few months, Canopy Health has added three new physician groups as both corporate shareholders and participating providers, creating a provider base of more than 4,000 physicians throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. These new shareholders include Hill Physicians Medical Group, representing physicians throughout Northern California; Muir Medical Group IPA, participating as part of the John Muir Physician Network, in Contra Costa, southern Solano and eastern Alameda counties; and Meritage Medical Network, with physicians in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties.

Canopy Health also has added seven hospitals to its network, in addition to its founding hospitals at UCSF Health and John Muir Health: San Ramon Regional Medical Center (a John Muir Health partner); Alameda Health System’s Alameda, Highland and San Leandro hospitals; Washington Hospital Healthcare System; Marin General Hospital and Sonoma Valley Hospital.

“We’ve made significant strides in a short amount of time as we work to provide Bay Area residents with an option to choose Canopy Health during open enrollment in the fall of 2016,” said Canopy Health Chief Executive Officer Joel Criste. “We’re excited to have prestigious medical groups, hospitals and health systems join Canopy Health to deliver high-quality, personal care across a significant portion of the Bay Area.”

The network also has signed a contract with Health Net to provide Canopy Health coverage to the 13,000 University of California employees and their families who are currently enrolled in the Health Net Blue & Gold plan with San Francisco Hill Physicians Medical Group, with additional discussions under way with other insurers to offer products for 2017.

“Health care has changed dramatically over the past few years. Our emerging network, with the addition of primary care and specialist physicians from Hill, John Muir Physician Network, and Meritage, and exceptional local hospitals, is poised to provide patients with access to the full spectrum of high-quality, affordable care that they need and deserve,” said Mark R. Laret, President and CEO of UCSF Health, which includes UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals and other partner and affiliated hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Bay Area, and chair of the Canopy Health Board of Directors. “We’re excited that they share UCSF and John Muir Health’s vision for the future of health care in the Bay Area, which includes increasing access to care and improving the health of populations, and strongly believe other partners will, as well.”

Established in March 2015 initially as an affiliation between UCSF Medical Center and John Muir Health, Canopy Health aims to offer a top-quality continuum of care at an affordable price for patients throughout the Bay Area, by building close connections between primary care providers, community hospitals, medical groups (facilities and practitioners) and academic medical centers.

The goal of the network is to offer patients access to care in the appropriate setting, whether that be the physician’s office, outpatient center, hospital, or non-traditional settings -- such as home, office, or virtual -- ideally near their office or home, with access to specialty expertise and care at affiliated acute care hospitals, should they need it.

Canopy Health will partner with health plans to offer competitively priced insurance products. These will be available selectively during open enrollment in the fall of 2016, pending approval of a restricted Knox-Keene license from the California Department of Managed Health Care, with services starting Jan. 1, 2017.

The restricted Knox-Keene license would allow Canopy Health to contract with health plans on behalf of all providers who are a part of the network and facilitate large-scale relationships with health plans, physicians and health systems.

About Canopy Health  

Launched in March 2015 as an affiliation between UCSF Health and John Muir Health, Canopy Health provides a top-quality continuum of care across the San Francisco Bay Area through affiliations with primary care providers, community hospitals, top-tier academic medical facilities and medical groups. In addition to its founding members, the Emeryville, Calif.-based network includes three physician groups, Hill Physicians Medical Group, John Muir Physician Network and Meritage Medical Network, representing more than 4,000 physicians in the Bay Area, and 12 acute care hospitals. As an Accountable Care Network, Canopy Health will partner with health plans to offer competitively priced insurance products starting in the fall of 2016. Visit canopyhealth.com.

About UCSF

UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise. It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises top ranked hospitals, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, and other partner and affiliated hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Bay Area.

About John Muir Health

John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of more than 1,000 primary care and specialty physicians, more than 6,000 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including Contra Costa County’s only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center. John Muir Health also has partnerships with UCSF Health, Tenet Healthcare/San Ramon Regional Medical Center and Stanford Children's Health. The health system offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics and high-risk obstetrics care.