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SPH and SA Ignite Partner to Strengthen Quality Payment Program Offerings for Value-Based Healthcare Organizations

Written by Azara Healthcare | Jul 15, 2019 7:41:00 PM

SPH Analytics population health division and Azara Healthcare merged in December, 2020.

SPH and SA Ignite Partner to Strengthen Quality Payment Program Offerings for Value-Based Healthcare

Combines portfolio of population health solutions with advanced MIPS analytics

Alpharetta, GA – SPH Analytics, a top-ranked Population Health Management vendor, announced today that the SPH Analytics’ population health line of business will merge with SA Ignite, forming an expanded population health and quality measurement- focused subsidiary within the SPH portfolio.  SA Ignite is a recognized leader in delivering solutions that help healthcare providers achieve top performance scores and financial incentives in the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program, helping their clients successfully transition to fee-for-value payment models.  The deal is pending final shareholder approval and is expected to close on Tuesday, July 16, 2019.

“We are acutely aware of the complex environment that healthcare organizations are facing today, and it is our commitment to continue providing solutions that help any organization, regardless of their stage in the journey, succeed in today’s era of value-based care,” said Amy Amick, President and CEO of SPH Analytics. “This strategic alignment creates a meaningfully expanded client base and enables us to build on our impressive track record of helping clients achieve substantive and sustained results in their shift to value-based care.  The SA Ignite solution set blends with our Population Care and Population Value solution lines in a highly complementary manner that will help us better serve our combined client base.”

The combined business will now offer broader and deeper capabilities to monitor and improve quality, which is the foundation for improved population health, while lowering costs. This will include support and analysis of a wide range of government and commercial quality measures, deeper expertise in MIPS and advanced payment models, and an expert consultative support model to enable clients to succeed with evolving reimbursement models. SPH’s comprehensive solutions for value-based reimbursement programs will bring immediate value to SA Ignite clients, as they can leverage all-encompassing quality measure performance solutions; patient engagement offerings to close care gaps and improve scores; and cost and utilization management tools. The newly combined business serves more than 21,000 quality-focused providers across hospitals, integrated delivery networks, provider networks, and physician practices.

“Working alongside electronic health records, our cloud-based IgniteMIPS software delivers powerful analytics that surface truly actionable improvement opportunities. Now merged with SPH, we are able to offer our customers a broader suite of quality measures such as MIPS CQMs, HEDIS, and ACO measures, as well as cost and utilization analytics and patient level drill-down capabilities. We believe this will enable our clients to achieve higher standards of performance and compliance in value-based payment programs for many years to come,” said Tom S. Lee, PhD, CEO and Founder of SA Ignite.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Dr. Lee has been retained as a strategic advisor and consultant, and Matt Fusan, from the SA Ignite executive team, will join the company as General Manager, Population Health.  SPH Analytics remains headquartered in Alpharetta, GA.

About SPH Analytics
SPH Analytics is a leader in healthcare analytics.  Through its Population Engage suite, SPH provides solutions for deep patient experience measurement and management for health plans, integrated health networks, ACOs, hospitals, ambulatory care providers, and physician groups.  Through its Population Care and Population Value suites, SPH provides solutions for population health management and quality measurement, empowering clients to analyze and interpret their clinical and financial data to maximize their performance. Together these solutions empower clients to meet healthcare’s Triple Aim by improving population health, reducing overall cost of care, and improving the patient experience.

SPH Analytics is a recognized leader in the industry, earning accolades as a top ranked population health vendor by KLAS, top-ranked satisfaction measurement firm in the health plan market by Modern Healthcare, and ranked number one in MACRA and MIPS Support Technology for Value-Based Care by Black Book Research. SPH Analytics has been providing insights to clients for more than 35 years and serves clients in all 50 states. Corporate headquarters are in metro Atlanta. SPH Analytics is a portfolio company of the $3 billion STG Partners.