Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1293457
101 HEALTHCARE NEWS Hackensack Meridian, RWJBarnabas, Horizon launch insurance company By Morgan Haefner N ew Jersey residents will be able to access a new health insurance product next year offered through a joint venture between Hackensack Meridian Health, RWJBarnabas Health and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. "You see some partnerships between healthcare providers and insurers throughout the country, but these are three organizations that are based in the same state, focused on the same population, and sharing common values to improve quality care and make healthcare more affordable," Robert Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian, told Becker's. Five things to know: 1. e company, called Braven Health, will offer Medicare Advantage plans to eight counties in New Jersey beginning in January 2021. 2. Braven is the state's first Medicare plan to be owned and operated by Horizon and Hackensack (N.J.) Meridian. Horizon and Hackensack Meridian said they're working with RWJBarnabas in West Orange, N.J., to join Braven. e addition is subject to approval by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. In an interview with Becker's, Gary St. Hilaire, president and CEO of Horizon, said the ownership breakdown of the joint venture is: • Horizon: 50 percent • Hackensack Meridian: 40 percent • RWJBarnabas: 10 percent, pending state approval 3. Braven health plans will use Horizon's existing Medicare Advantage network of providers and hospitals. e organizations expect enrollment to total 15,000 members in its first year. 4. Physicians across various specialties will be part of the company's practitioner council, which will provide recommendations to Braven's CEO and board of directors on improvements that are needed from a practitioner's perspective. Hackensack Meridian executives further outlined the role of the practitioner council, which will have 10 to 12 members, in two quotes to Becker's: • Patrick Young, president of population health for Hackensack Meridian: "e idea behind the council is to create an opportunity for physicians in the marketplace to have a say at the table in relation to the operational activities associated with Braven, as well as working on the clinical activities. It's a direct line of communication so that they can identify and facilitate and coordinate with the partners to make sure we're optimizing the experience of patients … and physicians." • James Clarke, MD, vice president of primary care and care transitions at Hackensack Meridian: "It's very exciting, as a physician, to work with the two hospital systems and insurance company to have a say in what's going on, and feeding [them] what we're seeing on the front line of patient care in our communities in New Jersey. e practitioners are excited to have people they can tell what they should be judged on and what brings value to their patients." 5. Luisa Charbonneau will serve as Braven's first CEO. She has more than two decades of experience in healthcare leadership. Most recently, she served as the senior vice president of senior lifestyle company Peerfit, and prior to that, led the Medicare business at Florida Blue. n FDA warns 17 website opera- tors about unapproved, mis- branded online opioid sales By Eric Oliver T he FDA sent warning letters to 17 website op- erators about the illegal sale of unapproved and misbranded opioids. These websites are selling opioids without a pre- scription and selling opioids with a lack of adequate directions for use. The websites were selling opioids like tramadol and oxycodone. The FDA sent the letters as part of its efforts to "take action against the illegal sale of opioids over the internet." n New Hampshire orthopedic practice breaks ground on surgery center By Eric Oliver P ortsmouth, N.H.-based Atlantic Orthopedics and Sports Medicine broke ground on the New England Center for Orthopaedic Surgery, Fosters.com reports. What you should know: 1. The orthopedic group is building a single-story orthopedic ASC in Portsmouth through a joint venture with Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare. 2. The ASC will be 11,000 square feet and will feature three operating rooms. 3. The ASC is expected to open in the spring of 2021. n