Priority Health and Garner Health Form Alliance to Reduce Patient Costs

Michigan‑based insurer Priority Health has announced a partnership with Garner Health, a digital platform that directs patients to high‑performing doctors in order to lower medical expenses.

Priority Health serves 1.4 million members across Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The collaboration will cater to both self‑funded and fully funded employer plans and will launch on August 1.

The partnership is designed to help Priority Health members locate high‑quality physicians in their area. Garner Health maintains a database of over 60 billion medical records that identifies top‑performing providers. When members select these providers through Garner’s platform, the employer covers most or all of the out‑of‑pocket costs, encouraging employees to choose better care and reducing the likelihood of unnecessary procedures.

“This partnership puts Garner’s provider‑quality data to work for Priority Health’s members at scale,” said Kirk Czonstka, senior vice president of strategic alliances at Garner. “By steering members to top providers within their existing network, employers see measurable savings—approximately a 12% reduction in healthcare spend in the first year—without shifting costs to employees or altering benefit plans.”

Priority Health chose Garner because it is “an established leader in provider quality analytics,” said Chase Osbourne, senior vice president of employer solutions and innovation for Priority Health. “Garner’s unrivaled claims‑based analytics evaluate the complete patient care journey and deliver visibility into provider performance.”

Osbourne added that Garner’s incentive model is especially compelling: “It motivates members to seek highly rated care by covering out‑of‑pocket costs, aligning perfectly with our goal to improve outcomes and lower costs without causing disruption. Their robust data and seamless member experience made them the right choice for Priority Health.”

The insurer aims to deliver significant cost savings for employers while increasing member engagement and improving health outcomes. “We’re committed to a smarter, non‑disruptive solution that benefits both employers and their employees,” Osbourne said. “Our shared vision is to create a simple, engaging experience that helps members make informed choices and drives positive health outcomes.”

The announcement follows Garner Health’s $100 million Series E funding led by Index Ventures earlier this year. CEO Nick Reber explained that Garner was born from his frustration with the healthcare system after costly misdiagnoses led to four surgeries.

“Seeing how healthcare really works from the inside sparked my passion to address these problems,” Reber said. “Health care is complicated in cost, quality, and outcomes, largely because consumers lack proper incentives and information.”

Photo: Dragon Claws, Getty Images

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