Nonprofits OCHIN and C3 Forge Alliance to Reshape Medicare for Community Health

PORTLAND, Ore. and BOSTON, Mass. – March 17, 2026 – In a strategic move poised to reshape healthcare delivery for hundreds of thousands of seniors, two national nonprofits, OCHIN and Community Care Cooperative (C3), have launched a new partnership to create a powerful Medicare Accountable Care Organization (ACO) solution. The initiative aims to enhance care quality for approximately 250,000 Medicare patients while providing a critical financial and operational lifeline to over 300 community health centers and rural clinics nationwide.

This collaboration brings together OCHIN, a 25-year veteran in health information technology known for its expertise with the Epic electronic health record (EHR) system, and C3, a highly successful ACO governed by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). By combining OCHIN's data-driven insights with C3's proven value-based care management, the partnership seeks to address some of the most pressing challenges in American healthcare: an aging population, rising medical costs, and the financial instability of front-line community providers.

A New Model for Value-Based Care

The OCHIN-C3 partnership is built on the foundation of value-based care, a fundamental shift away from the traditional fee-for-service model that rewards the volume of procedures toward a system that incentivizes positive health outcomes. At its core is the Accountable Care Organization, a network of doctors, hospitals, and other providers who work together to deliver coordinated, high-quality care to their patients.

Under frameworks like the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), ACOs that successfully lower healthcare costs while meeting stringent quality benchmarks can share in the savings they generate for Medicare. More advanced, risk-bearing models like ACO REACH also incorporate incentives for advancing health equity, a key focus for community health centers. This new venture provides a structured pathway for community clinics, which often operate on thin margins, to participate in these sophisticated models.

"Rooted in shared organizational values, our new partnership creates real potential to transform access to quality patient care and generate shared savings that will support the financial viability of our members," said Abby Sears, president and CEO of OCHIN. Sears noted that this support is crucial as these centers "adapt to new industry pressures and evolve to meet the changing needs of their aging patients and broader communities."

Combining Technology and Expertise

The synergy between the two organizations is the partnership's core strength. OCHIN provides the digital nervous system, leveraging its extensive experience with the OCHIN Epic EHR platform. This technology allows clinics to aggregate patient data, identify high-risk individuals, track health outcomes, and manage population health on a scale that would be impossible otherwise. It turns raw data into actionable insights for improving patient care.

Complementing this technological prowess is C3's decade of operational expertise. As the only national ACO governed by its FQHC members, C3 has a deep, intrinsic understanding of the community health environment. The organization has a remarkable track record, having generated over $200 million in shared savings and incentive payments for its partners since 2018. This demonstrates a proven ability to translate data insights into effective care management strategies that reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, improve chronic disease management, and ultimately lower the total cost of care.

"Together with OCHIN, we are equipping community health centers with the value-based care infrastructure, data, and tools they need to succeed," said Christina Severin, CEO of C3. "We're excited to welcome new FQHCs into our Medicare ACOs as we expand access to quality care for patients and build a more sustainable and inspiring future for community-based primary care."

Empowering the Front Lines of Community Health

Federally Qualified Health Centers are the bedrock of the American healthcare safety net, providing comprehensive primary care to over 32 million people, many of whom are uninsured or live in underserved communities. As the U.S. population ages, these centers are seeing a demographic surge of patients becoming eligible for Medicare. This partnership is designed to fortify these vital institutions.

By joining the OCHIN-C3 ACO, smaller and rural clinics gain access to a level of technological infrastructure and specialized expertise they could not afford to build on their own. The partnership provides consulting, financial forecasting, and practical assessments to help these organizations navigate the complex transition to risk-bearing payment models. This support mitigates the financial risks and administrative burdens that have historically been major barriers to FQHC participation in value-based care.

Crucially, C3’s governance structure ensures that the ACO’s goals are directly aligned with the mission of its member clinics. Unlike top-down models, this FQHC-led approach fosters a collaborative environment where strategies are developed with a deep appreciation for the on-the-ground realities of community-based care.

A Mission-Driven Alternative in a Competitive Market

The healthcare landscape is populated with for-profit ACO enablers and large health systems vying to manage Medicare populations. The OCHIN-C3 collaboration stands out as a distinctly mission-driven alternative. Its nonprofit status means that success is measured not by shareholder returns, but by the health of the patients and the stability of the communities served.

This model's competitive advantage lies in its unique combination of integrated technology, FQHC-centric operational expertise, and a shared nonprofit ethos. While other entities offer technology platforms or consulting services, this partnership provides an end-to-end solution built by and for the community health sector. By enabling local health centers to maintain their independence while benefiting from the scale of a national network, the initiative ensures that patients can continue to receive care from the trusted providers they know in their own communities.

As the healthcare industry continues its inexorable shift toward value, this alliance represents a powerful blueprint for how technology and collaboration can be harnessed to create a more equitable and sustainable system. It empowers the very organizations best positioned to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations, securing their role in the future of American healthcare.