State Health Plan and Novant Health Announce Partnership To Provide Access to High-Quality, No-Cost Surgical Care Across North Carolina

Today the Department of State Treasurer and Novant Health announced the first major expansion to the State Health Plan's (Plan) Lantern surgical benefit. This will significantly broaden access to no-cost, high-quality surgical care for hundreds of thousands Plan members across the state. The announcement was made during a press conference at Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center.

Through this partnership, Plan members will now have access to Lantern-designated surgical services at numerous Novant Health locations across the state. Novant Health's footprint strengthens the Plan's ability to offer members convenient, local access to high-value surgical care at no cost.

"Our Plan members live and work across our state, not just in big urban centers," said State Treasurer Brad Briner. "This partnership with Novant Health brings surgeries closer to home for many of our members while at the same time reflecting our commitment to improving health and financial outcomes."

"At Novant Health, we're committed to exploring innovative ways to deliver high quality, affordable care to patients across the Carolinas," said Dr. Pam Oliver, executive vice president and chief medical officer, Novant Health. "We're proud to partner with the State Health Plan and Lantern to give North Carolina state employees access to affordable surgical care close to home for specialties including orthopedics, spine, bariatrics, general surgery, heart and vascular care and women's services. This collaboration reflects our shared focus on improving access, outcomes and value for the communities we serve."

The Plan launched the Lantern surgical benefit last fall, which provides eligible members with no out-of-pocket costs for certain, non-emergent surgeries when performed by participating Lantern providers.

"Access matters. Novant Health is leading the way by showing that best in class care can be provided while keeping costs down," said Tom Friedman, State Health Plan Executive Administrator. "Our partnership through Lantern is right on target with our mission to find new ways to help our members stay healthier and keep our Plan financially sound."

"North Carolina health systems are demonstrating what real leadership in healthcare looks like by coming together with a shared commitment to delivering quality care and long-term affordability to state workers," said John Zutter, CEO of Lantern. "By aligning high clinical standards with a model that reduces out-of-pocket costs for state workers, we're proving that quality and cost discipline can go hand in hand and setting a blueprint that other state health plans can follow."

The addition of Novant Health reinforces the Plan's broader strategy to partner with leading providers and health systems that prioritize quality, transparency and affordability while empowering members to make informed health care decisions.

For more information about the State Health Plan's Lantern Surgical Benefit, visit www.shpnc.gov.

For Media:

**B-roll package provided by Novant Health

**Video of the full press conference will be available no later than 3pm on the Department of State Treasurer Youtube site: NC DST - YouTube

**Still pictures from today's press conference available here:

https://spaces.hightail.com/space/UcyJU7XktM

Access code: s99t4Zo(

About the North Carolina State Health Plan
The State Health Plan, a division of the Department of State Treasurer, provides health care coverage to more than 750,000 teachers, state employees, retirees, current and former lawmakers, state university and community college personnel, and their dependents.

About Novant Health
Novant Health is an integrated network of nearly 900 locations, including 19 hospitals, more than 750 physician clinics and urgent care centers, outpatient facilities, and imaging and pharmacy services. This network supports a seamless and personalized healthcare experience for communities in North Carolina and South Carolina. Novant Health is nationally recognized for our unwavering commitment to safety and the highest quality care, and we serve as a catalyst for healthcare transformation through clinical trials, leading-edge research, innovative care delivery models and robust virtual care networks. The expertise and empathy of our more than 41,000 team members along with more than 8,600 independent and employed clinicians are at the heart of Our Cause as industry leaders caring for communities across the Carolinas. In 2024, Novant Health provided more than $1.6 billion in community benefit, including financial assistance and services.

For more information, visit NovantHealth.org. Follow Novant Health on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

About Lantern
Lantern is the leading Specialty Care Platform built to simplify and elevate the most complex care journeys through a unified, value-driven approach. Lantern supports 12 million members and over 1,000 employers nationwide to deliver high-quality surgical, infusion and cancer care. Lantern's Network of Excellence is the nation's leading specialty care network built on direct contracts and bundled payments with top-tier specialists, facilities, and centers of excellence. Lantern's distributed network is the most locally accessible in the industry, leading to higher utilization and a 4% overall annual reduction in healthcare costs. Lantern supports our members throughout their care journeys, helping them get back to good health, back to their families and back to work. For more information, visit lanterncare.com.

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