Blue Shield of California will work with San Francisco-based hospitals and medical personnel in order to improve patient care and help create a cost and quality standard in the area, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

There are more than 25,000 employees in the city's public sector, and while health insurance is typical, the quality and cost of care varies greatly. San Francisco is not the only city to try something new, the news source reported. Sacramento worked out a program recently that prioritized further medical training for personnel in order to give patients cheaper alternatives, by aiding them in obtaining procedures that were not as drastic, but still accomplished their goal.

"When you have over-utilization, it is both a cost and quality issue," Paul Markovich, Blue Shield's chief operating officer, told the news source. "Hospitals are not really safe places to be. ... You only want to be there if you have to be there."

Blue Shield, in concert with other local healthcare providers, created the accountable care organization, the news source added. This coordination of healthcare could make it easier and more practical for locals to afford care.