Saint Francis Hospital and SoNE HEALTH Receive Center of Excellence Designation in Four Areas by the State of Connecticut Health Plan

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Saint Francis Hospital, a member of Trinity Health Of New England, and SoNE HEALTH, Trinity Health Of New England's clinically integrated network, are pleased to announce they have earned Centers of Excellence designations from the State of Connecticut Health Plan in four areas: Hip Replacement and Revision; Knee Replacement and Revision; Lumbar Laminectomy; and Lumbar Spine Fusion. Additionally, Saint Francis Hospital and SoNE HEALTH earned 11 Providers of Distinction designations for a variety of procedures and conditions, including Bariatric Surgery, Colonoscopy/Endoscopy and Angioplasty.

Saint Francis is currently one of only three Connecticut facilities to receive Centers of Excellence distinction, which recognizes and rewards demonstration of superior quality of care. The designations come after Comptroller Natalie Braswell recently announced Connecticut’s health plan has launched the next phase of its innovative value-based care payment program, aimed at improving the quality, affordability, and experience of health care for hundreds of thousands of state employees and retirees.

The state’s Providers of Distinction program incentivizes the highest quality care at the lowest possible cost. By negotiating fixed, guaranteed pricing with providers and facilities to coordinate and deliver care across the patient’s journey, the state reduces variation in costs while improving health care quality and outcomes.

“This program represents an important partnership between the state health plan — the largest employer-based plan in the state — and Connecticut’s world-class medical institutions and providers,” said Comptroller Natalie Braswell. “I’m thrilled to welcome Saint Francis as a Center of Excellence for several procedures, an acknowledgement of its proven ability to provide high-quality care and an outstanding patient experience. I look forward to further expanding and improving the program with the dual goals of growing our state’s health care sector and controlling long-term costs.”

Those covered by the state’s health plan, including members of the Connecticut Partnership Plan, now will automatically receive cash incentives ranging from $100 to $1,000 when they have eligible procedures performed by designated providers. Incentives for plan members increase based on the two designation tiers, called Providers of Distinction and Centers of Excellence. Providers of Distinction are those organizations that scored higher than their peers in affordability and clinical quality, while Centers of Excellence organizations are those who score the highest among their peers in affordability, clinical quality, and additional areas such as process improvement, leadership, clinical innovation, and patient focus.

“The State of Connecticut’s innovative value-based care payment program is an exciting move for all those insured by the State’s health plan, offering patients the assurance that they are receiving affordable, high-quality care. As the clinically integrated network for Trinity Health Of New England, which includes Saint Francis Hospital, SoNE HEALTH is dedicated to a collaborative approach to healthcare and we are honored to align with the State of Connecticut on this initiative,” stated Lisa Trumble, President and CEO, SoNE HEALTH.