More employers and patients are experiencing the benefits of Vanderbilt's MyHealth Bundles, an innovative, value-based approach to managing some of the most common and costly health conditions, from maternity to orthopedics to weight loss.
Employers pay one predictable price for an episode of care. Necessary services, such as imaging, labs, physician visits, hospital stays and even related ER visits, may be included in select bundles. And employees typically pay low to no out-of-pocket costs.
Now the success of MyHealth Bundles in providing unprecedented care while lowering costs is also catching the attention of influential media outlets.
Forbes Highlights Partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools
A recent article in Forbes—"Charting the Path Forward to Value-Based Care"—cited the success of MyMaternityHealth at Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). The school system was seeing an increase in costly neonatal claims among their employees, including a jump in the number of C-sections.
Vanderbilt Health believed bundled payments could free the 6,500-employee school system from a fee-for-service model of misaligned incentives. As part of the solution, Vanderbilt Health and MNPS contract with each other directly, while Cedar Gate Technologies provides efficient administration of the program.
Vanderbilt Health leveraged its expertise to build and design the bundled payments while taking on full financial risk as well as the clinical responsibility. It has multiple touchpoints with patients including a patient navigator to help make appointments, share educational materials, answer questions and more.
The article cites a KLAS case study which listed several key achievements from this approach, including high average Net Promoter scores from patients, significant lower medical spending and a reduction in C-section rate from approximately 40% to approximately 28%.
MNPS has documented savings of approximately $500,000. Meanwhile, providers say they enjoy the freedom of practicing care the way they see fit, free from many of the constraints imposed by insurance companies.
Article Urges Employers to Learn More About Bundles
An article in ALMBenefits Pro, "Provider-led Bundle Programs Can Cut Health Care Costs for Employers," pointed out that many employers don’t fully understand the advantages of provider-led bundles. It quotes Brittany Cunningham, DNP, MSN, RN, CSSBB, vice president of Vanderbilt Health’s Episodes of Care Office.
"Some employers may fear that implementing bundled payment options will disrupt or replace existing benefits," she said. "In reality, provider-led bundles are designed to complement existing offerings. Our bundles provide end-to-end health care services for some of the costliest health conditions for a single, predictable fee for the employer."
The article also cited key results from the recent MyHealth Bundles Impact Snapshot:
- Employers saved 16% on health care spending and saw reduced variation in care by using MyHealth Bundles.
- In 2024, 90% of MySpineHealth surgery patients returned to work within 90 days.
- Unnecessary surgeries have been avoided for hip osteoarthritis, knee osteoarthritis and shoulder pain.
In the article, Cunningham encourages employees to talk to an experienced provider like Vanderbilt to learn more about the advantages of bundled programs, including cost savings, better patient outcomes, improved return to work rates and higher net promoter scores.
“By recognizing the value of this approach and partnering with a trusted provider, employers can ask the right questions and receive the guidance needed for successful implementation and integration," she said.
Becker's Payer Issues Podcast Cites Quality and Convenience of Bundles
Ruchi Talwar, MD, Medical Director in the Office of Episodes of Care Population Health at Vanderbilt Health, was interviewed on a Becker's Payer Issues Podcast episode about how provider-led bundled payment programs are improving outcomes, reducing costs and delivering value.
Though bundles deliver clear benefits to both employers and employes, Dr. Talwar stressed that partnering with clinicians as bundles are being developed can make their work more rewarding while boosting quality. She said her team has posed a challenge to providers: “In a perfect scenario, if you didn't have the burdens of prior authorization utilization management, or have to worry about patient-facing or out-of-pocket costs, what kind of algorithm would you create that lets you take the best possible care of the patient and sets us up to get the best possible outcomes?”
Convenience is also a key objective of MyHealth Bundles. "Some of our programs have enhanced telehealth services,” she said. “So, it may not require someone to take an entire day off from work and drive downtown just for a doctor's appointment. We really try to address some of those specific areas of annoyance that can be inconvenient for our patients and our employers.” Dr. Talwar also cited additional results achieved by the program:
- More than 640 weight-loss procedures through MyWeightLossHealth helped patients lose a total of more than 40,000 pounds.
- A recent analysis of MyMaternityHealth showed a $1 million reduction in NICU spending. Plus, 50 NICU admissions were avoided.
For more information on the successes of MyHealth Bundles, see the 2025 MyHealth Bundles Impact Snapshot. And click here for media coverage of the program.
