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Strategic Partnership Intelligence Brief — actionable insights, stakeholder mapping, and competitive positioning for account penetration.
Five converging pressures create an unprecedented opening. McLaren is at an inflection point — new leadership, financial stress, and regulatory deadlines demand action now.
Jessica Cromer started Dec 1, 2024 as President & CEO of McLaren Integrated HMO Group (600K+ lives). She replaced a 25-year incumbent and is explicitly focused on "consistency in processes, efficiency in work." Background in Medicaid turnarounds — execution-oriented leader actively reshaping vendor relationships.
90 Days InMcLaren High Performance Network ACO exceeded its CMS benchmark by $10M in PY 2024 — first loss in 7-year history. Previously ranked 6th best ACO nationally ($37.1M savings in 2019). Now owes CMS $3M repayment and is actively restructuring: removed high-cost provider TINs, joined Premier Collaborative.
-$10MMedicare Advantage contract H6322 scored 3.0 stars for 2026. National average: 3.66. Michigan average: 3.9. Below the 4.0 threshold for CMS quality bonus payments (up to 5%). Translates to millions in lost revenue annually. Every half-star improvement has massive financial impact.
3.0 ★Two ransomware attacks in consecutive years (ALPHV/BlackCat 2023, Inc Ransom 2024) affecting 2.8M people. Settlement includes mandatory 2+ years of enhanced security. Claims deadline: April 29, 2026. Any vendor with HITRUST/SOC2 has automatic procurement advantage.
$14MMcLaren was NOT selected for Michigan's new dual-eligible (D-SNP) program launching 2026. Competitors Aetna, Humana, Meridian, Molina, Priority Health, and UHC were all selected. This is a missed growth opportunity — a sore point internally that signals capability gaps in complex population management.
Not SelectedClick any row to reveal how Stellar directly addresses each challenge with proven results.
Below the 4.0 bonus threshold. Missing millions in CMS quality bonus payments. Nearly a full star below Michigan's 3.9 average. Quality gap widening against competitors.
Stellar's platform drives measurable quality improvement through point-of-care gap closure, provider incentive alignment, and real-time HEDIS tracking across the entire network.
+0.5 Stars avg YoY improvementFirst-ever loss after 7 years of savings. Cost management, utilization, and provider behavior patterns have deteriorated. Restructuring underway but no silver bullet identified.
Stellar's own ACO (shaco) saved Medicare $5M in its inaugural year with a 5.3% gross savings rate — exceeding the national ACO average of 4.7%. Ranked #1-3 across multiple quality measures.
$5M saved, 5.3% gross savings rate2026 is 100% V28 risk scoring. HCC categories expanded from 86 to 115, but 2,027 ICD-10 codes were removed. Provider education and coding accuracy are urgent needs. Revenue erosion of 3-8% for unprepared plans.
Stellar's in-workflow prompts guide providers through accurate HCC documentation during patient visits — not retrospective chart review. Actionable, real-time, audit-defensible.
+7% HCC coding capture increaseLarge network with variable performance. Current P4T incentives are modest ($25-$100/measure). Providers juggle multiple payor portals. Care team staff excluded from incentives. Behavioral change is slow.
Stellar's behavioral economics platform pays the ENTIRE care team (MDs, MAs, front desk) MONTHLY for each completed action. Single dashboard consolidates all payor contracts. No delayed gratification — immediate, transparent rewards.
400K+ actions/month, 94% CSATAnnual Wellness Visits are a cornerstone of Medicare quality and risk adjustment but consistently underperformed. McLaren's ACO recovery strategy lists AWV programs as a priority — indicating current completion rates are insufficient.
Stellar drives AWV scheduling and completion through automated prompts and direct financial incentives for the staff who schedule, prep, and complete visits. Works within existing workflows — no new systems to learn.
+11 percentage point AWV increaseClick any card to reveal recommended approach and talking points.
Understanding who's already in the building — and where the gaps are.
Consolidates 30+ data streams. Replaced 5 point solutions. Used for care management, cost/utilization analytics, quality management. Integrates with Cerner + 20 ambulatory EHRs. Manages 200K+ lives.
Selected 2015, deployed system-wide. Replaced McKesson & Allscripts. Note: Oracle Health has lost 57 acute care customers since 2022 acquisition — potential vulnerability and dissatisfaction signal.
ACO joined PHMC after 2024 loss. Also have PINC AI clinical research collaboration (March 2024). Strategic, not tactical — focuses on benchmarking and best practices, not provider-level activation.
First in Michigan, one of five nationally. FDA-cleared algorithms for incidental cardiac findings. 40K+ patients/year. Signals: McLaren leadership is willing to adopt innovative technology partners.
Macro forces that make the case for Stellar inevitable — not just advantageous.
2026 is the first year of full V28 risk scoring. 2,027 ICD-10 codes removed. Unprepared plans face 3-8% risk score decline. Proper coding and documentation are now existential, not optional.
3-8% revenue erosion if unprepared42 of 44 managed care audits target coding accuracy. Recent refund recommendations: $4-7M per plan. OIG is comparing V24 vs V28 coding patterns for anomalies. Audit-defensible documentation is non-negotiable.
$4-7M refund recommendationsCMS goal of universal VBC creates a $500B+ addressable market. 14.3M people in ACOs as of Jan 2026 (up 4.4%). Plans without VBC infrastructure will be competitively disadvantaged. The window to build is now.
$500B+ addressable marketMichigan's dual-eligible program launching Jan 2026 in limited regions, statewide by 2027. McLaren was NOT selected for this round. Demonstrating complex population management capabilities now positions for future cycles.
Positioning for 2027 statewideEffective January 2026: 72-hour urgent / 7-day standard prior auth decisions. Plans without automation are non-compliant. Provider satisfaction directly tied to PA efficiency. $15B projected savings over 10 years.
January 2026 — live nowHealth plans shifting from "no AI" to platform strategies. AI enables 1 nurse per 200-300 patients (vs 50-75 traditionally). AI-native VBC companies scaling rapidly. McLaren just adopted Bunkerhill AI — appetite confirmed.
AI-native companies scaling 3xThe numbers that define the opportunity — and the urgency.
Click any card to flip and reveal the response. Prepare for these objections — they will come up.
Persivia is excellent for population-level analytics and data aggregation. Stellar doesn't replace Persivia — we activate it. Persivia identifies care gaps; Stellar puts them in front of the right provider at the right moment with immediate financial incentives. Think of it as the behavioral layer on top of your analytics layer. The ACO loss suggests the analytics alone aren't driving enough behavior change.
Analytics ≠ Activation. You need both.Premier provides strategic benchmarking, best practices, and actuarial support — invaluable for ACO governance. Stellar provides the tactical, provider-level execution engine. Premier tells you what to do; Stellar makes it happen at the point of care. Our clients who also participate in Premier collaboratives see the two as complementary — strategy + execution.
Premier = strategy. Stellar = execution.Stellar's model is performance-based — the health plan funds the provider incentive pool, and Stellar's fee is tied to outcomes achieved. This isn't a big-bang capital expenditure. And consider the cost of inaction: every year at 3.0 stars means millions in lost CMS quality bonuses. The $10M ACO overage grows if utilization patterns don't change. Stellar is an investment that pays for itself.
Performance-based. Cost of inaction > cost of action.We understand — and we're built for this. Stellar is HITRUST CSF certified, HIPAA compliant, with encrypted data handling and enterprise-grade security architecture. We've gone through rigorous security assessments with some of the most security-conscious health plans in the country. Happy to share our HITRUST certification and go through your security review process at any stage.
HITRUST CSF Certified. HIPAA Compliant. Enterprise-grade.Mapping McLaren's milestones against Stellar's Michigan momentum.
New leader, new era. Replacing 25-year incumbent. Evaluation window is NOW.
McLaren begins new CMS contract period. Must show improvement from PY 2024 loss.
Strategic alliance with 130+ practices, 320 providers in Novi, MI. Michigan market entry.
5.3% gross savings rate. #1-3 quality rankings. Proof that the Stellar model works at scale.
No gainsharing with BCBSM/BCN. Removed 25% withhold. VBC economics shifting.
McLaren starts monthly care gap reporting to providers. Stellar's platform does this natively.
Full transition complete. No more V24 safety net. Coding accuracy = revenue.
Real outcomes, real data. Everything you need to build the business case.
Ranked #1 in tobacco screening, #2 in statin therapy, #2 in timely care (CAHPS), #3 in provider communication (CAHPS), #7 in depression remission — out of 58 first-year ACOs nationally.
Net Promoter Score of 75 — world-class. Providers actively choose to use the platform because it rewards them transparently, monthly, for the work they're already doing.
Fort Lauderdale practice achieved Cigna Tier 1 for the first time ever after 9 months on Stellar. Lower patient out-of-pocket costs + higher reimbursement for the practice.
KLAS Research Emerging Technology Spotlight (2022) and Point of Light Award (2023). HITRUST CSF certified. Backed by General Atlantic, Point72 Ventures. Oak Street Health co-founders invested in Series B.
Strategic alliance with Olympia Medical in Novi, MI. Founded by Dr. Randall Bickle. Independent physician organization serving the same Michigan market as McLaren. Proof of local execution.
Transitioning shaco I to Enhanced Track (more risk, more reward). Launching shaco II. Network: 50+ medical groups, 750+ providers. Medicare population grew 3x+ in 2025.
This area contains proprietary Stellar Health materials for authorized personnel only.
Curated materials for the McLaren Health Plan opportunity
How a Fort Lauderdale practice improved 11 of 15 quality measures and achieved Cigna Tier 1 status for the first time in 9 months on the Stellar platform.
View Case Study →Comprehensive overview of the micro-incentive platform, behavioral economics approach, in-workflow delivery, and monthly payment model for care teams.
View Platform →How Stellar helps health plans activate their provider networks, improve Star ratings, boost HEDIS performance, and achieve risk adjustment accuracy — all through point-of-care actions.
View Payor Solutions →Stellar's tech-enabled ACO saved Medicare $5.0M with a 5.3% gross savings rate. Top quality rankings across tobacco screening, statin therapy, and CAHPS measures.
View ACO Results →"Changing Primary Care Incentives" — Michael Meng discusses the behavioral economics behind Stellar, the incentive gap in VBC, and why monthly micro-payments change provider behavior.
Listen / Read →KLAS Research recognized Stellar Health with an Emerging Technology Spotlight (2022) and Point of Light Award (2023) for outstanding customer experience and innovation in VBC enablement.
View KLAS Report →Strategic alliance with Olympia Medical — 130+ practices, 320 providers in Novi, MI. Proof of Michigan market execution and local provider engagement.
View Press Release →How the platform works from the provider perspective: in-workflow prompts, SVU earning potential, monthly payments, single dashboard across all payors. Use for provider-facing conversations.
View Provider Solutions →Network-wide visibility, corporate priority translation, provider engagement and retention — how Stellar helps health systems operationalize their VBC strategy at scale.
View Solutions →Stellar chose Vim as its point-of-care connection platform, enabling in-EHR integration for next-generation VBC enablement. Deploy in <90 days.
View Integration →Stellar's perspective on how thoughtful incentives will drive the changing landscape of provider reimbursement in value-based care.
Read Article →Dec 2025 partnership with the largest nonprofit PACE program in the US. Demonstrates Stellar's capability with complex, elderly populations — relevant for McLaren's Medicare and dual-eligible ambitions.
View Press Release →