Health insurance startup Sidecar Health inked a partnership with Carrum Health to bring its specialty care network onto its platform.
Carrum Health, a Fierce 15 of 2025 honoree, launched 10 years ago to develop value-based Centers of Excellence for employers, with the aim to revamp how the healthcare industry pays for and delivers specialty care.
Sidecar Health members will now have access to more than 1,200 vetted COE providers for surgical, cancer and substance use treatment—accessible to 90% of Americans within 50 miles of a Carrum provider, according to the companies.
Carrum's solution makes specialty care services available at bundled prices and connects members to dedicated care navigation. The service also includes a 30-day warranty on surgery and two years on cancer care.
The company says it has been independently validated to reduce unnecessary procedures by as much as 30%, lower readmissions by 80% and save employers up to 45% per episode of surgical care.
"This partnership offers Sidecar Health members another tool to help find high-quality providers for complex procedures," Sidecar CEO Patrick Quigley told Fierce Healthcare. "For employers, it means lower costs without compromising quality for their employees. For members, it means they can approach even the most complex procedures with the same confidence and cost transparency as routine care on our platform, knowing what their plan pays upfront and avoiding the surprise bills that are so common in traditional insurance."
"It also shows how Carrum and Sidecar are aligned in our vision for healthcare: putting people in control, rewarding quality and value, and proving that transparency can work at every level of care," Quigley said.
Carrum Health says its model makes specialty care more accessible to members and helps tackle rising healthcare costs for employers.
By leveraging its rigorous quality evaluation at the facility and physician levels, Carrum only works with providers in the top 10% of performance for each service line and negotiates all-inclusive, pre-negotiated bundled prices to make payments transparent and predictable, according to Brent Nicholson, Carrum Health co-founder and chief growth officer.
"This partnership sends a signal to the market that there is a better way to pay for and deliver healthcare," Nicholson told Fierce Healthcare. "By empowering members to be in the driver’s seat and select the right care from the right providers, Carrum and Sidecar are demonstrating that healthcare doesn’t have to be a series of zero-sum tradeoffs or cost-shifting. They provide hope for a system where it is possible to achieve the triple aim of higher quality, lower costs, and an exceptional patient experience."
For Carrum, the partnership represents an opportunity to expand beyond large self-funded employers and serve Sidecar Health’s growing base of covered lives.
Sidecar, also a Fierce 15 of 2025 honoree, aims to disrupt employer-sponsored health insurance and asserts that its model is unique—no prior authorizations, no networks and no referrals.
Sidecar's model is based around offering upfront pricing to its members, which allows them to compare pricing and shop around for care. For every medical service, Sidecar Health provides a benefit amount, which is set according to local provider prices and shown upfront. In the Sidecar Health app, members can see pricing for nearly every doctor as well as guaranteed financial outcomes to help them shop for care confidently, according to executives.
When members choose care priced below their benefit amount, they keep half of the savings; if they select care that costs more, they simply pay the difference.
That same approach now applies to complex procedures through Carrum’s Centers of Excellence providers, giving members a single, upfront bundled price instead of a stack of unexpected bills, Quigley said.
"And because Sidecar doesn’t require prior authorizations and approves more than 99% of claims, members can move forward quickly and confidently when they need care," he said.
The partnership marks the first time Sidecar has collaborated with a COE network. "We chose them because they share our commitment to high-quality affordable care," Quigley noted. "Their model offers all-in bundled prices that give members certainty and eliminate surprise bills, which aligns perfectly with how Sidecar Health works."
Employers face soaring healthcare costs, with another 8% increase expected this year, according to data from the Business Group on Health. Specialty care now accounts for roughly half of employer healthcare spend. Nearly 50% of employers are turning to COEs for cancer care in 2025 to control costs and improve outcomes, with 75% planning to adopt COEs within two years.
Sidecar's tie-up with Carrum helps address members' specialty care needs, Quigley asserts.
"By bundling everything into one transparent price, members no longer have to navigate fragmented bills from multiple providers. Just as important, they aren’t stuck waiting on prior authorizations or blindsided by denials for parts of their care," he aid. "The result is faster access to top-tier specialists, financial certainty, and a smoother path through complex episodes of care."
For Sidecar members that means fewer delays and greater confidence moving forward with the care their doctors recommend, Quigley said.