CareSource Announces “CareSource Kids Collaborative” Statewide Network of Pediatric Accountable Care Organizations

Alliance with Children’s Hospitals Creates New Model to Drive Exceptional Children’s Care

(CINCINNATI, Ohio – February 14, 2022) – CareSource, a leading multi-state managed care plan, announced today the formation of a strategic initiative to create a statewide network of pediatric accountable care organizations with several children’s hospitals in Ohio. The new alliance, named the CareSource Kids Collaborative, is designed to improve quality, efficiency and patient experience.

“Our collaboration with these leading children’s hospital groups is an example of our commitment to continue to innovate our approach to value-based care, ensuring that children receive the right care, in the right place at the right time,” said Steve Ringel, CareSource Ohio Market President.

The CareSource Kids Collaborative forms a large provider network that, across the state, offers access to every level of children’s health care, from prevention services and well-child visits to the most sophisticated medical and surgical specialties. CareSource provides health benefits to nearly 670,000 children in Ohio.

Additionally, medical directors from all participating organizations have joined an Ohio Pediatric Workgroup to improve the overall quality and care for kids across Ohio. 

“Through improved access to care, care coordination and an integrated delivery system focused on the quality of care delivery, our partners offer a strong value for our members,” said Dale J. Block, M.D., VP, Market Chief Medical Officer for CareSource. “Working collaboratively with the children’s hospitals in this new model is an emphatic step towards re-shaping our youngest members’ health and improving the quality of their lives.”

The following children’s hospitals are participants in the new collaborative:

• Akron Children’s Hospital, Akron, Ohio
• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Dayton Children's Hospital, Dayton, Ohio
• Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

 “This new alliance will not only allow us to provide excellent care for the patients in our region but also allow us to learn from and inform care throughout the state of Ohio,” said Jeff Anderson, MD, medical director of the HealthVine network of pediatric care providers and organizations as well as vice president of external medical affairs for Cincinnati Children’s.

CareSource aims to make population-level improvements through greater levels of integration and improved health care outcomes with the CareSource Kids Collaborative. Aligning innovative strategies of the health plan and children’s hospitals maximizes the collective impact of Ohio’s health care system while being good stewards of taxpayers’ money.