Last Updated: Thursday, January 18, 2024
At Highmark, we believe that to fix health care we have to put patients first. To deliver the value-based care that patients deserve, we need to change how health care works. Instead of working with practitioners on one side and us on the other, we're partnering with you to provide the most appropriate care possible.
Putting patients first means giving members access to high-quality care. It's about convenience and quality. That's why we constantly work to identify high-performing providers and offer access to alternative care locations such as clinics, local facilities, and in-home care.
To that end, Highmark has measured a specific set of performance metrics for components of care provided by participating home health agencies. As a result of that review, Highmark determined that while all participating home health agencies provide quality care, some providers had higher re-admission rates, higher emergency department utilization, and higher than average cost per episode — all of which can lead to higher costs for members.
Highmark created a network of home health agencies to align with the commitment to work with health care providers to make sure that our members receive high-quality health care that is affordable.
Only those participating home health agencies that performed at the highest levels are included in the High Performance Home Health Agency (HHA) Network. These providers are placed at the highest benefit tier for commercial tiered products using the High Performance HHA Network. Approximately 50% of home health agencies in Pennsylvania are included in the network.