Calif. Blue Shield Gives $20 Million for ACOs

Blue Shield of California has awarded grants totaling about $20 million to 18 organizations to assist in developing accountable care organizations in the state.

The grants range from $300,000 to $2 million and are being used for a range of activities, including implementation of information systems. These include local health information exchanges, electronic health records, risk stratification, predictive modeling and case and utilization management.

The grants are part of the Blues plan's "2 Percent Pledge" made in June to limit annual net income to 2 percent of revenue and return the difference to customers and communities. The $20 million represents an average of $10 million each for fiscal years 2010 and 2011. Nearly 60 organizations submitted grant applications.