ABSTRACT
Integration is a common goal when health systems acquire medical practices, but may take various forms and continue to evolve beyond the classic model. Characteristics of the classic model of integration include strong and committed physician leadership, an emphasis on care coordination, easy access to primary care, integrated IT and business intelligence, and a willingness to accept financial risk. Leaders of integrated delivery systems continue to strive for greater levels of coordination and leveraging of collected talents and resources.
Subject(s)
Delivery of Health Care, Integrated/organization & administration , Health Facility Merger/organization & administration , Hospital-Physician Relations , Medical Informatics/organization & administration , Systems Integration , Delivery of Health Care, Integrated/economics , Delivery of Health Care, Integrated/trends , Health Facility Merger/economics , Health Facility Merger/trends , Humans , Medical Informatics/economics , Medical Informatics/trendsABSTRACT
In the emerging healthcare environment, providers will require many capabilities of traditional health plans simply to remain viable. Providers that are contemplating entering the health plan business should consider the likely strategic, structural, and cultural effects of such a strategy on their organizations. Providers that own health plans will need to determine how they will differentiate themselves in the markets to foster patient loyalty and which insurance lines of business they will pursue (e.g., individual, small group, large group, or other).
Subject(s)
Insurance, Health , Ownership , Health Personnel , Risk Management/economics , United StatesABSTRACT
The U.S. healthcare system's focus on population health management is prompting experimental care models aimed at strategically filling gaps in care coordination for targeted patient populations. Examples include: Extensivists. Care coordinators. Home visits. Polyclinics. Reorganized hospitalists. Predictive modeling.
