New Agreement Extends Insurance Coverage to North Country Workers

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and North Country Healthcare have signed an exclusive agreement to provide 1,400 employees with health insurance coverage effective Jan. 1, 2018. As part of the agreement, both nonprofit organizations will each provide a $30,000 grant to help support health in the North Country by ensuring improved access to fresh, healthy food for residents. North Country Healthcare is the parent company of affiliated hospitals in northern NH, including Littleton Regional Healthcare, Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, Weeks Medical Center in Lancaster, and Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital in Colebrook. This partnership will designate the four hospitals as Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Low Cost Providers, which reduces patient costs for certain services.

“All four NCH hospitals will be designated as Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Low Cost Providers beginning in 2018. This will dramatically increase the service coverage area for North Country residents covered by Harvard Pilgrim. Members will now be able to access low-cost medical services more conveniently, and closer to home,” says Warren West, CEO of North Country Healthcare (NCH).

West adds that the partnership with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care will also help NCH continue to build a clinically integrated network with three community health centers in the North Country: Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, Indian Stream Health Center, and Coos County Family Health Services. This will enable NCH to improve care, provide coordination of care among the region’s health centers and hospitals, and better serve the health and wellness needs of North Country residents.

Harvard Pilgrim will utilize its population health company, Benevera Health, to work closely with NCH on local health initiatives and improve care coordination in the North Country. Benevera Health will deploy analytics and a team of nurses, social workers, pharmacists, community health workers, and physicians in the region and on site at North Country Healthcare hospitals to help patients stay healthy and recognize potential health concerns early, before they are an issue.

“Helping North Country Healthcare reduce costs and provide access to affordable and quality health care for North Country residents is central to this partnership,” says William Brewster, vice president of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care New Hampshire. “We are very proud to join forces with NCH to provide funding support of area programs that will help North Country families improve their health and get fresh, affordable food.”