23
September
2014
|
09:09 AM
America/New_York

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey announces new collaboration to deliver better care to cancer patients

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (BCBSNJ), in its ongoing effort to build the largest network of patient-centered care practices, announced today it has invested in COTA, Inc., an oncology-management technology company based in Hackensack, New Jersey. COTA’s real-time data platform assists physicians with providing personalized and optimal care to their cancer patients as well as enabling practices and health plans to move to value-based care models that reward the quality, not quantity, of care cancer patients receive.Horizon BCBSNJ is leading an effort to transform how health care is delivered in New Jersey by rewarding doctors and hospitals for the value, not the volume, of patient care they provide. Horizon BCBSNJ’s patient-centered programs, which deliver more coordinated and efficient patient care, while improving the satisfaction of patients, now extend to over 500,000 members, and encompass more than 3,700 patient-centered physicians at 900 practice locations."Horizon’s goal is to assist doctors in providing their patients with the most effective and efficient treatment possible, and COTA has the potential to become a powerful tool to help them do that,” said Glenn D. Pomerantz, MD, JD, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Horizon BCBSNJ. "In the molecular age of medicine, the data COTA provides can give doctors a clearer picture of how to most effectively treat their patients, so we see this as an investment to further transform how health plans and doctors collaborate to improve safety and patient outcomes."Built with the contributions of over 100 practicing oncologists as well as national leaders in cancer biostatistics and health care reimbursement, COTA generates actionable clinical data to improve decision-making among all partners in the care of a cancer patient. The data produced by COTA provides a clinical taxonomy for patients to be categorized and sorted to ensure they receive the right treatment.As part of Horizon BCBSNJ’s investment in COTA, Dr. Pomerantz will join COTA’s board of directors, as well as a second appointee from Horizon BCBSNJ who will be named at a later date.About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state’s oldest and largest health insurer, is a tax-paying, not-for-profit health services corporation, providing a wide array of medical, dental, and prescription insurance products and services. Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, serving 3.7 million members with headquarters in Newark and offices in Wall, Mt. Laurel, and West Trenton. Learn more at www.HorizonBlue.com. About COTA, Inc. Developed by oncologists for oncologists and their patients, COTA, Inc. is a cloud-based platform that enables doctors and health plans to improve patient care and move from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement models. COTA offers providers, patients and payers with the real-time data they need to improve clinical outcomes, while reducing the costs. Based in New Jersey, the Company’s mission is to enable optimal care for every cancer patient in the United States by generating actionable, real-time data. To learn more about COTA, call (866) 648-3833 or visit www.cotatrack.com.