Increased focus on improving quality of care, lowering costs and enhancing the patient experience has led to a "new era" in care delivery and greater collaboration among care providers, according to a report from the American Hospital Association.
Healthcare provider integration takes various forms — clinical, financial, horizontal or vertical — and the relationship structures can be loose affiliations or full-on mergers, according to the report. The report states that in order to integrate successfully, providers need to develop enhanced "core competencies." Here are 10 key competencies identified by the AHA, sorted into three main categories.
Foundation properties
1. Leadership and empowerment for partners, physicians and staff
2. Buy-in from management and governance
3. Financial capital
Robust capabilities and alignment
1. Aligned organizational and financial incentives
2. Well-defined, established care management practices
3. Clinical and health IT
4. Continuous quality improvement processes
5. Population-based care delivery models
Outcomes
1. Improved quality of care, measured by patient experience, clinical outcomes and functional health status
2. Increased efficiency/lower cost
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