Not-for-profit Sutter Health Plus more than doubled its membership since the start of 2015. The health plan ended the year with 30,209 members—a growth rate of more than 260 percent for 2015. Today it serves more than 37,000 Northern Californians.

“Last year we made a number of strategic decisions that resulted in our strong growth,” said Steve Nolte, CEO of Sutter Health Plus. “This includes the decision to expand our products into six new counties, form partnerships with more brokers, and join our first private health care exchange.”

In January 2014, Sutter Health Plus launched in the greater Sacramento and Central Valley areas. The HMO expanded its footprint into the Bay Area in February 2015 when it added Sonoma County, and later added Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties to its service area. Then, in the fall of 2015, the health plan joined CaliforniaChoice, a private exchange for small groups—a strategic move that accounts for 20 percent of the health plan’s membership.

Sutter Health Plus’ service area now stretches from Sacramento to Santa Clara and includes 14 Northern California counties. Additionally, the HMO’s network includes 25 hospitals and campuses and 5,300 providers.

“One of the keys to this success is our affiliation with Sutter Health, a nationally respected and recognized health care system,” added Nolte. “As a provider-sponsored health plan, we have the unique opportunity to bring care and coverage together and give more people affordable access to high-quality care.”