Western Health Advantage expands service area with Canopy Health agreement

A new agreement between Canopy Health and Western Health Advantage announced today means HMO benefit plans for employer group health coverage from Western Health Advantage (WHA) will offer access to the Canopy Health alliance of providers and hospitals effective Jan. 1, 2018, subject to regulatory approval.

'This is a really exciting opportunity for both Canopy Health and Western Health Advantage,' Joel Criste, CEO of Canopy Health, stated in the announcement. 'Our goal has always been to create the most accessible and transparent network in the Bay Area, and we feel this new relationship will allow us to exceed our goals in every way.'

Garry Maisel, president and CEO of Western Health Advantage, stated the pact will mean 'enhanced access to small and large businesses in the Bay Area at a cost that fits company budgets.'

The agreement with Canopy Health will expand the nonprofit WHA's service area to four new counties in the Bay Area. Currently serving employers in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties, Western Health Advantage will expand into San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Mateo counties. This will bring WHA's coverage to 13 Northern California counties, with a provider network of more than 5,800 doctors in eight medical groups and 25 hospitals and major medical centers, according to the announcement.

Canopy Health is a physician- and hospital-owned healthcare alliance with more than 4,000 participating physicians and 13 hospitals and numerous urgent care centers located across seven Bay Area counties (Marin, Sonoma, San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, and San Mateo). WHA members will be able to select their primary care physician from a list of reputable providers within the Canopy Health network of medical groups and then have referral access to any of Canopy's more than 3,000 specialists regardless of medical group affiliation. Collaborative care and innovative member technology is the core focus of the new healthcare alliance at Canopy Health.

Among North Bay health providers, Canopy Health's network includes: Marin General Hospital; Meritage Medical Network; Sonoma Valley Hospital; and

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals and UCSF Health.

Canopy Health was launched in March 2015 as an affiliation between UCSF Health and John Muir Health,

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