Five Maryland health systems announced Tuesday an agreement to launch the Advanced Health Collaborative, an organization to support partners in achieving the triple aim: improved care, health and costs.
The alliance will allow partners to discuss, collaborate and share strategies to improve population health, all while maintaining independence. The AHC is not a merger.
"For Maryland hospitals, the shift to the global budget system requires a whole new way of thinking and doing business, which can be both exciting and daunting," Robb Cohen, CEO of AHC, said in a statement. Last year, the state moved to a new system in which all health systems are reimbursed based on the size of the population they serve, rather than the amount of services provided.
"We believe that by sharing ideas and working together, AHC members will be more successful in transitioning to this new model of care and achieve faster and better results. This will ultimately benefit their health systems, physicians and other care providers, but, most importantly, it will be a valuable asset for the people in Maryland," he said.
The five Maryland health systems include Adventist HealthCare in Gaithersburg, LifeBridge Health in Baltimore, Mercy Health Services in Baltimore, Peninsula Regional Health System in Salisbury and Trivergent Health Alliance, which includes Frederick (Md.) Regional Health System, Meritus Health in Hagerstown and Western Maryland Health System in Cumberland.
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