Mission Health Partners and FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Company partner to serve Medicare Advantage beneficiaries

Mission Health Partners (MHP) and FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Pinehurst-based FirstHealth of the Carolinas, have established a new network relationship to offer a Medicare Advantage plan, FirstMedicare Direct, to seniors in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Transylvania and Yancey counties. The FirstMedicare Direct Medicare Advantage plan will be available to seniors during the Medicare annual enrollment period beginning Oct. 15, 2016. 

“FirstCarolinaCare is excited to partner with Mission Health Partners to offer trusted health insurance options to Medicare beneficiaries in the western part of North Carolina,” said Craig Humphrey, president of FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Company. “It has always been our mission to provide our members with access to high quality care to improve their health, and this collaboration gives us the ability to further that mission with a like-minded partner.”

Since 2013, FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Company has offered its FirstMedicare Direct Medicare Advantage plans to eligible Medicare beneficiaries in Chatham, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond and Scotland counties. FirstMedicare Direct’s current membership is approximately 6,400 members.

The Mission Health Partners network includes clinicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers committed to improving access to high quality care, improving clinical outcomes, lowering costs of care and creating an exceptional patient experience for western North Carolina residents. 

“We are delighted to establish a network relationship with FirstCarolinaCare,” said Marc Malloy, senior vice president, Health Plan Solutions, Mission Health, and executive director, Mission Health Partners. “By bringing our networks together, we can enhance and improve access to critical health services for more individuals and families.”

MHP is the largest Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in North Carolina. Through the expanded collaboration, Mission Health Partners and FirstCarolinaCare will focus their efforts to improve care coordination for patients by using shared technology, timely data and information about emergency room visits and hospital admissions. The collaboration will also secure support services to help patients manage their chronic health conditions, such as enhancing relationships with their primary care physicians and encouraging healthy lifestyles. As a result, Mission Health Partners hospitals and local providers will further strengthen the care delivery model to that of a value-based, patient-centric care model focused on keeping people healthy.

About FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Company

Formed in 1999 by parent company FirstHealth of the Carolinas, FirstCarolinaCare was licensed by the North Carolina Department of Insurance in October 2000. In 2007, FirstCarolinaCare broadened its structure and received its license as a North Carolina insurance company. Over the years, it has received a number of significant awards for leadership in the health insurance industry. In addition to its Medicare Advantage product FirstMedicare Direct, FirstCarolinaCare offers a wide range of health benefit plans for businesses throughout North Carolina serving over 25,000 members. For more information, please visit www.firstcarolinacare.com.

About Mission Health Partners

Mission Health Partners (MHP) is a clinically integrated, patient-centric and physician-governed network of clinicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers, working collaboratively in an evidence-based manner to improve patient care and experience, decrease cost and ultimately drive positive changes in the health and well-being of the residents of western North Carolina.

MHP is among one of the largest ACOs in the country, covering 47,000 Medicare beneficiaries. MHP also covers 18,000 lives through the Mission Health employee benefits plan and some 8,200 patients attributed through Medicare Advantage plans. We are currently accountable for the cost and quality of care for roughly 9 percent of western North Carolina. For more information, please visit missionhealthpartners.org.