Centers of Excellence+ Programs

University Hospitals Centers of Excellence+: Information for Employers & Payers

Center of Excellence+ (COE+) programs have become a popular employer choice for containing healthcare costs while obtaining better outcomes. Health benefits tend to be one of the highest line items in an employer’s budget, with 25% of total medical spending directly tied to surgeries. As such, self-funded employers are interested in directing their employees to quality centers with proven outcomes and predictable pricing.

Are you interested in accessing one of our COE+ programs, or would you like to develop a new COE+? Please fill out our online form to begin the process of establishing a Center of Excellence+ for your employees at University Hospitals.

Have questions?

Call us at 216-286-8088.

Ready to Enroll?

Fill out our online form to enroll in one of our COE+ programs.

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Benefits of Centers of Excellence+ for Employers & Payers

Our COE+ program is built on five pillars of clinical care — connection, innovation, engagement, transformation and appropriateness — that together allow us to offer enhanced value for both employers and payers.

Employers benefit from COE+ programs because they lead to lower costs and healthier, more productive workforces. Insurance companies and other payers benefit from the COE+ designation because participation in such programs makes them stand out in the marketplace in a positive way, bolstering patient volumes and improving business.

University Hospitals Is a Designated Member of the Employer Centers of Excellence Network (ECEN), administered by Contigo Health, LLC.

The Contigo Health ECEN Passport™, which is administered by Contigo Health, is a national program that provides workers with access to high-quality care for elective surgeries at carefully selected COE+ programs throughout the country.
To obtain ECEN designation, organizations must meet rigorous criteria and undergo a stringent assessment process in which both hospitals and surgeons are evaluated.
Organizations must complete an extensive request for proposal detailing clinical protocols, patient selection criteria and performance metrics (length of stay, infection rates, procedure-specific outcomes, etc.).
Fewer than 5% of healthcare systems initially identified for participation in ECEN meet all the quality requirements for consideration.

Bundled Package

All the services offered through University Hospitals’ COE+ programs are bundled together to be paid at a single rate. This approach promotes efficiency and best practices from all caregivers involved as they work together to provide the highest quality patient care while staying within a price point.