New partnership adds Lantern’s national Network of Excellence as an available solution for employers seeking high-quality, outcomes-based specialty care
DUBLIN, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Quantum Health, the leading healthcare navigation company, today announced a new partnership with Lantern, a value-based specialty care platform, expanding the options available to self-insured employers seeking high-quality Centers of Excellence (COEs) and outcomes-based specialty care solutions.
2026 is expected to be the largest increase for healthcare costs for employers in 15 years coming in at a 6.5% increase. Employers are increasingly prioritizing high-performance provider networks and value-based arrangements to improve quality for employees while addressing unsustainable cost growth.
Traditional fee-for-service reimbursement models reward volume rather than outcomes, contributing to significant variation in quality and total episode cost. High-cost surgical and specialty procedures including orthopedics, oncology and cardiac care can generate substantial financial exposure when care is delivered inefficiently, or complications occur.
By welcoming Lantern into its Preferred Partner program, Quantum Health is expanding the value-based specialty care options available to clients seeking great quality accountability and cost predictability. “Healthcare affordability requires structural change,” said Steven Knight, Chief Operating Officer at Quantum Health. “Employers are seeking real solutions that improve outcomes and create greater cost predictability. By partnering with Lantern, we are expanding the value-based specialty care options available to our clients and reinforcing our commitment to helping them manage high-cost episodes more effectively.”
Through this collaboration, Quantum Health clients can add Lantern’s specialty surgical and cancer solutions as a value-based option within their broader care navigation strategy.
What differentiates the model is Quantum Health’s proprietary technology and early engagement approach. By identifying members at the first moment specialty care is needed, and embedding steerage directly within utilization management workflows, Quantum Health helps ensure referrals are clinically appropriate and aligned with plan design before high-cost spend occurs. This results in optimized utilization, fewer downstream disruptions, and a smoother, more confident member experience from day one.
With the 2025 acquisition of Embold Health, Quantum Health further strengthened its ability to evaluate physician performance and surface objective quality insights. These capabilities support more informed employer decision-making and improved care steerage strategies.
“Employers want scalable solutions that reward quality and accountability,” said Dickon Waterfield, President of Lantern. “We are proud to partner with Quantum Health to expand access to high-performing specialty care providers through our national Network of Excellence and continue our shared mission to improve healthcare experiences and facilitate better healthcare outcomes at a sustainable cost.”
Lantern connects members to top-performing surgeons and specialists for planned procedures such as joint replacements, spine surgery, cancer care, and other complex treatments. These providers are carefully selected based on their track record for quality, safety, and patient outcomes, including 300+ live appropriateness and outcome measures through an exclusive partnership with Global Appropriateness Measures (GAM). Lantern lowers costs by negotiating direct contracts with its Network of Excellence providers that are 55%+ lower than carrier rates.
For employers, this approach makes the cost of high-dollar procedures more predictable and reduces avoidable complications and repeat surgeries. For members, it means guidance to trusted specialists, coordinated support throughout their care journey, and greater confidence in their treatment decisions.
Lantern’s network spans high-impact specialties and is within driving distance of 98% of Lantern’s current U.S. members, providing broad national access. Underpinning this model is its licensed third-party administrator (TPA) operating structure, which offers employers flexibility in plan design and network contracting, including options such as waiving employee cost-share. Through its comprehensive Specialty Care Platform, Lantern supports a wide range of plannable procedures, including all cancer diagnoses, helping employers implement structured, high-quality specialty care solutions designed to improve outcomes and better manage total episode costs.
The Lantern solution will be available to new and existing Quantum Health clients, providing additional flexibility for employers seeking high-quality, value-based specialty care options.
To learn more visit quantum-health.com/centers-of-excellence.
About Quantum Health
Quantum Health’s flexible suite of solutions sets the standard for healthcare navigation, simplifying care journeys, improving outcomes and controlling rising costs for organizations of all sizes. Quantum Health provides more than 8 million members with a single point of contact throughout the full journey, delivering compassionate guidance and clinical expertise enhanced by agentic AI and predictive analytics based on 26 years of proprietary consumer healthcare data.
In 2025, Quantum Health acquired leading healthcare technology company Embold Health, further strengthening its AI and provider search capabilities to guide members to the right care. Only Quantum Health engages continuously with providers to take immediate action at a member’s first moment of need, ensuring healthier members, more productive employees and smarter healthcare spending. To learn more, visit quantum-health.com.
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.
Contacts
Media Contact
Cat Miller
Vice President, Communications, Quantum Health
[email protected]
