Fallon to join Atrius, pending Mass. AG oversight

Fallon Clinic, a multi-specialty medical group based in Worcester, Mass., is affiliating with Atrius Health, an alliance of five community-based medical groups serving nearly 700,000 patients in eastern Massachusetts. Fallon Clinic will continue to function as a locally operated, multi-specialty medical group serving central Massachusetts.

The affiliation will allow Atrius Health and Fallon Clinic to share infrastructure, best practices and financial accountability, Newton, Mass.-based Atrius stated.

Both Atrius Health and Fallon Clinic are both 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations with experience utilizing EMRs, managing healthcare and global payments, according to Atrius Health, based in Newton, Mass. In addition, both organizations have implemented patient-centered medical homes that are recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

To address potential antitrust concerns, the organizations have entered into an Assurance of Discontinuance and agreed to provide information on future contract terms, according to a statement from Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office.

Under the Assurance of Discontinuance filed in Suffolk Superior Court, Atrius and Fallon must provide contract terms for Fallon Clinic and a financial analysis of the terms 30 days in advance of executing new contracts with the major health insurance companies with which they do business. The Assurance will last either for 10 years or the next two contract cycles with those insurance companies, Coakley’s office stated.

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