Henry Ford Health System and General Motors have signed a "Direct to Employer" healthcare contract – a first-of-its-kind arrangement for both organizations.

The deal means that GM will deliver both healthcare management and wellness services to salaried GM workers and families in Southeast Michigan. The option will cover a seven-country area and roughly 24,000 individuals.

“We are very committed to addressing the affordability of healthcare – offering exceptional care while bending the cost curve for consumers in the communities we serve. Given our experience in delivering value-based care, and our extensive physician network, we are uniquely poised to create a truly innovative solution for GM, their employees and families,” said Wright L. Lassiter III, president and CEO, Henry Ford Health System, in a statement.

The arrangement takes the form of GM's ConnectedCare plan option, to go live in 2019, which will give access to a 3,000 provider network of both primary care physicians and specialists. The option offers primary care, over 40 specialties, behavioral health services, hospitalization and emergency care, plus other services, including a pharmacy feature.

"GM's upcoming ConnectedCare option comes from our ongoing quest to improve employee health, while also seeking to offset rising health care costs for both the employee and the company," said Sheila Savageau, U.S. healthcare leader, General Motors. "Partnering with a regional healthcare leader like Henry Ford Health System enables us to provide an innovative new plan option for high-quality, affordable care."

The goal is to lower costs and boost health and wellness via a more managed approach that establishes “the long-term patient-physician relationship," said Dr. Adnan Munkarah, executive vice president and chief clinical officer, Henry Ford Health System.

Henry Ford was picked for its integrated electronic medical records systems, patient engagement tools, and innovative physician alignment, which ties better outcomes to rewards.

"These tools, along with the collaborative network of physicians that we've assembled, have enabled us to make an immediate and positive impact on our patients," said Dr. Bruce Muma, chief medical officer and interim president and CEO, Henry Ford Physician Network.

GM ConnectedCare participants will have their own appointment system, help picking a primary care doctor, access to same- or next-day appointments with their PCP and access to specialists within 10 business days. They will also have online tools like the Henry Ford MyChart online portal for viewing test results, scheduling appointments, filling prescriptions, and paying bills.

In addition, Henry Ford will help members manage health with wellness exams, monitoring of chronic issues and screenings.

"That's one of the aspects that really excites us about a direct to employer arrangement like this, said Dr. William Conway, CEO of the Henry Ford Medical Group. "It's a new and unique way to both partner with our patients and to hold ourselves accountable, not just for their health, but also for their level of satisfaction with what we're doing."

Henry Ford made news in April with another first, when it installed Synaptive Medical Inc.’s Modus V robotic arm for cranial and spinal surgery – technology previously used in space.

“The teams that assembled and now maintain the space station needed a way to move these giant, yet, extremely delicate pieces of satellite and other equipment in a calculated, precise way,” Steven N. Kalkanis, chair of the department of neurosurgery and medical director at Henry Ford Cancer Institute, told HCB News. “If you think about it, we have a very similar need – a way to accurately and safely maneuver in and around the delicate parts of the brain and spine, while preserving healthy tissue. In essence, this technology provides the same kind of support; it enhances what the astronauts are doing and it enhances what we are doing.”