CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Premier Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC), a healthcare improvement company, has formed a new organization that is focused on optimizing care through clinically led partnerships with large, national employers and their health plans.

The company, , is designed to be a clinically driven network of health systems collaborating with employers and their health plans to deliver the best care possible for their employees. Contigo Health plans to launch pilot programs with employers by partnering with health systems in select markets to eliminate unwarranted variation in care delivery. The goal is to avoid unnecessary invasive treatments and focus on delivering the most appropriate care to improve quality and reduce costs.

A group of 35 leading health systems, representing more than 440 hospitals, have already signed letters of intent to participate in Contigo Health’s high-value network of providers. Contigo Health is also working with several large national employer partners, which it expects to announce in the coming months.

Nearly half of all Americans receive health insurance through an employer and the cost to insure a single employee is estimated at $15,000. As a result, employers have taken an activist role in healthcare in order to create a consistently healthy workforce while keeping costs manageable.

“Premiums are rising 6 percent each year and employers are increasingly bearing a larger share of overall healthcare costs,” said Michael J. Alkire, President of Premier. “It’s imperative that healthcare providers lead the care decision-making process, and therefore they need closer relationships with the employers funding care. We designed Contigo Health to foster trusted relationships between clinicians, health systems and employers that are focused on achieving these common goals—while working within their existing benefit structure and health plans.”

Jonathan R. Slotkin, M.D., will serve as Contigo Health’s Chief Medical Officer to lead its clinical innovation, strategy and operations, while continuing to care for patients as a neurosurgeon at Geisinger. Dr. Slotkin has led patient-centered transformation initiatives with some of the largest employers in the U.S.

“Most employees have seen their insurance deductibles triple since 2008,” said Dr. Slotkin. “That’s why I am passionate about bringing employers and health systems together. Contigo Health has a groundbreaking mission to increase access to high-quality care, improve employee productivity and advance the value of healthcare overall. Great, affordable care allows people to be engaged at work and as healthy, happy and productive as possible – it can also be an employee’s best benefit.”

Powered by Premier’s member network, data and technology, Contigo Health is focused on increasing engagement with employer health and wellness programs in the clinical setting. This includes empowering clinicians with information on employers’ existing ancillary benefits during the patient encounter, ensuring patients are aware of the resources available to better manage their health.

Contigo Health is designed to deliver insights to clinicians through a user-friendly, EMR-integrated, proprietary clinical decision support interface to guide informed care choices with the latest evidence-based practices. Its intelligent clinical workflow technology makes it easy for clinicians to embed clinical programs into their care process that simultaneously meet patient/employee needs.

“Contigo Health is a nimble company that is strengthened by Premier’s network of high-value hospitals and health systems, years of expertise and industry relationships, as well as its leading data, analytics and technology,” said Steven Nelson, President of Contigo Health. “We believe there is so much opportunity for health systems and employers to innovate together, in harmony with their health plans. We are committed to creating this space to give people access to the highest-quality, highest-value care that is most appropriate for their needs.”

Forward-looking statements

Matters discussed in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Premier to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements in the conditional or future tenses or that include terms such as “believes,” “belief,” “expects,” “estimates,” “intends,” “anticipates” or “plans” to be uncertain and forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include comments as to Premier’s beliefs and expectations as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside Premier’s control. More information on potential factors that could affect Premier’s financial results is included from time to time in the “Forward-Looking Statements,” “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of Premier’s periodic and current filings with the SEC and available on Premier’s website at . Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Premier undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise that occur after that date.

About Contigo Health

Contigo Health is a wholly owned Premier Inc. company that creates new ways for clinicians, health systems and employers to innovate together. The Contigo Health Network™ and products support a common goal for all stakeholders: to increase access to high-quality care, improve productivity, increase employee engagement and control costs.

About Premier Inc.

Premier Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC) is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of more than 4,000 U.S. hospitals and health systems and approximately 175,000 other providers and organizations to transform healthcare. With integrated data and analytics, collaboratives, supply chain solutions, and consulting and other services, Premier enables better care and outcomes at a lower cost. Premier plays a critical role in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, collaborating with members to co-develop long-term innovations that reinvent and improve the way care is delivered to patients nationwide. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier is passionate about transforming American healthcare. Please visit Premier’s news and investor sites on ; as well as , , , and for more information about the company.

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