Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid members will now have access to providers in the value-based Western Clinical Alliance, powered by Renown Health.
RENO, Nev. (Dec. 20, 2021) – Members of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid in Nevada can now receive care from providers in the Western Clinical Alliance, powered by Renown Health. A first of its kind agreement, the partnership between Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid and Renown Health extends care for Anthem members in northern Nevada. This agreement gives providers and patients in the region better access to care by focusing on health and well-being while reducing the overall cost of care. The Western Clinical Alliance is a value-based clinically integrated network that puts the patient at the center of care and allows collaboration between providers across the community.
“The Western Clinical Alliance has been seeking this kind of innovative and forward-thinking partnership for a while, and we are excited to be working with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield,” said Thomas Graf, MD, Chief Clinical and Quality Officer and Western Clinical Alliance chair. “The partnership creates an environment that eliminates many of the traditional barriers associated with providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time. For us, it is all about ensuring Anthem members have the greatest opportunity to live healthy lives; this includes their participation in preventative and wellness care as well as optimization of their chronic diseases”
Western Clinical Alliance providers – including those at Renown hospitals, Renown medical groups and other community-based health organizations – have developed a relationship that makes vital data and insights readily available to better understand every patient’s journey through the healthcare system. Providers in the Western Clinical Alliance work together to drive better outcomes by helping patients receive care in the highest-value settings.
“Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is excited to partner with Renown Health and the Western Clinical Alliance because we believe effective health coverage begins with a trusted primary care provider who can guide our members through the complexities of the healthcare system, with an emphasis on prevention and wellness leading to better health outcomes,” said Lisa Bogard, President of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Nevada.
Many people in the northern Nevada community covered by a Medicaid plan like Anthem’s will have an open enrollment window starting Jan. 1, 2022. In addition to an opportunity to foster a relationship with providers from Renown Health and the Western Clinical Alliance, Medicaid members in Nevada can go to www.chooseanthem.com to enroll in a plan that offers a range of added benefits that promote physical fitness, nutritious home-delivered meals, transportation assistance, Boys and Girls Club memberships, essential support services for new and expecting parents and more.
About Western Clinical Alliance & Renown Health
Western Clinical Alliance® is a Clinically Integrated Network (CIN) which joins together physicians across our community into a single comprehensive care delivery network. The CIN is in collaboration with Renown Health and other care providers that share a common set of goals focused on increasing value by improving outcomes and better managing the total cost of care for patients. Renown Health is the region’s largest not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital and a medical group and urgent care network. For more information, visit renown.org.
Renown Health Distributes More Than $1 Million to Community Health Agencies
As Reno’s only locally owned, not-for-profit, integrated academic health care network, Renown Health reinvests every dollar earned back into the community — in expertise, technology, treatments, training and research — to improve health and prevent illness.
Today, Renown Health’s senior leadership team, along with the chair and members of the Board of Directors, representing more than 8,000 physicians and employees, gathered to celebrate and support 65 local not-for-profit partners working to address the area’s most critical health care needs and build a healthier Nevada.
“For more than 160 years, Renown Health has worked to improve the health of our community,” said Brian Erling, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Renown Health. “As an essential community asset, and in affiliation with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, we appreciate the trust placed in us and take this responsibility very seriously. Our commitment has grown and evolved through careful consideration of our community’s most pressing health needs. By partnering with other mission-driven nonprofit organizations, we are working to address these issues, which include expanding access to care, enhancing affordability and ensuring that every person can live their healthiest and best life.”
He added, “Improving the health and wellness of an entire population is not easy. It is a huge task. We know that change is constant, and to take on the challenges ahead, we must work together now, with those in the field, to ensure a bright and healthy future for our kids, grandkids and future generations.”
Dr. Bill Plauth of Renown Health Recognized by Becker’s as a “Chief Medical Officer” to Know For 2026
Renown Health is proud to announce that Bill Plauth, MD, MMM, CPE, has been named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s national list of “Chief Medical Officers to Know for 2026.” This recognition highlights 252 physician leaders across the country who are driving clinical excellence, advancing quality and safety and shaping the future of healthcare delivery.
