Fort Wayne, Ind. – April 11, 2025 – Today, Parkview Employer Solutions announced the launch of a new direct-to-employer health plan designed to offer the lowest possible healthcare costs for employers while ensuring access to high-quality care.
Signature Care EPO Plus will be available for self-funded and partially self-funded employers, saving them more than 25% compared to commercial insurance networks. Priced well below the national average for hospital care per the Kaiser Family Foundation, EPO Plus is Parkview’s next bold step in reducing the total cost of care in northeast Indiana.
"The decision to choose a low-cost narrow network plan is ultimately in the hands of employers, but employers who choose to switch to Signature Care EPO Plus have the opportunity to achieve significant cost savings," said Dr. Jason Row, chief value transformation officer at Parkview Health. "Our narrow network is another example of how we are working to create sustainable, cost-effective solutions, while maintaining access to world-class healthcare."
The EPO Plus plan allows employers to offer their workforce access to Signature Care’s more than 21,000 healthcare providers and facilities, including all Parkview Health hospitals, ambulatory sites of care, and physicians, as well as a network of leading quaternary healthcare institutions, including Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. In addition to each of the high-quality, 4-star rated Parkview hospitals, Signature Care includes numerous other in-network quaternary Centers of Excellence.
Competitive pricing through Parkview Signature Care
Parkview Signature Care is a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) network of physicians and hospitals, featuring services at Parkview-owned facilities, that offer the most competitive pricing and discounts.
Three Signature Care health plans are now available:
- Signature Care Elite is a PPO option for self-insured employers that provides enhanced discounts to the employer from an extensive list of in-network providers and facilities. This two-tier plan design is often a good option for employers new to the network and working toward realizing the additional benefits of Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) plan designs in future plan years.
- Signature Care EPO is an enhanced design with three network tiers (preferred, in-network and out-of-network) to guide members to the highest quality hospitals in the network that include even lower rates than the standard Signature Care discounts at Parkview and key health system partners.
- The newest plan, Signature Care EPO Plus, builds on the three EPO tiers by including even lower rates at Parkview facilities and optimized TPA pricing through an exclusive partner. By utilizing the Signature Care EPO Plus preferred independent TPA, the new plan further reduces healthcare administrative costs, allowing Parkview to pass savings on to the employer.
Parkview is able to offer the best possible pricing through the EPO Plus plan – with hospital rates below the national hospital price average – because direct-to-employer arrangements bypass the red tape and administrative burdens that come with major commercial insurance carriers. This includes unnecessary prior authorizations, denials of medically necessary claims that must be appealed, delays in payment and other hurdles.
EPO Plus provides significant savings to employers and patients when compared to the contracted rates of a national carrier with the largest membership in northeast Indiana. The following example demonstrates the discounted rate under the EPO Plus product:
“The new plan is designed with employers’ needs in mind and how we can partner to save them money,” said Dr. Row. “By working directly with brokers, consultants and employers, Parkview can deliver a streamlined, efficient healthcare experience that leads to healthier employees and lower total healthcare costs.” Parkview Health committed to reducing healthcare costs Parkview has established a track record of bold steps to reduce healthcare costs. Since 2020, Parkview has renegotiated contracts with major health insurance companies, yielding $1.1 billion in total rate reductions. The health system has also launched numerous ambulatory surgical centers, which provide a lower-cost care option, and used Parkview Employer Solutions to directly partner with employers to reduce their total healthcare spend. “The launch of Signature Care EPO Plus is yet another example of Parkview’s ongoing commitment to provide innovative solutions to reduce the total cost of care for patients and employers,” said David Jeans, senior vice president of payor, employer and health plan strategies at Parkview Health. “The Employer Solutions sales team looks forward to educating broker and consultant partners and their employer groups on EPO Plus in an effort to continue bending the cost curve while delivering access to high-quality care.” To learn more, visit Parkview Employer Solutions online. About Parkview Health: Parkview Health is a not-for-profit, community-based health system serving a northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio population of more than 1.3 million. Parkview Health’s mission is to improve health and inspire well-being in the communities it serves. With more than 16,000 co-workers, it is the region’s largest employer. Parkview Health includes 14 hospitals and an extensive network of primary care and specialty care physicians. The flagship Parkview Regional Medical Center campus includes services such as the Parkview Packnett Family Cancer Institute, Parkview Heart Institute, Samaritan flight and ground transport program, Parkview Ortho Hospital, a certified stroke center, verified adult and pediatric trauma centers, Women's & Children's Hospital and an outpatient services center.