Network Advantage

About This Blog

The Network Advantage blog is the main channel that we use to let Clinical Integration Project participants know about upcoming events, new tools and research, etc.

Joining this blog's subscriber list is the easiest way to read our insights and learn about new Clinical Integration Project events. Subscribe today by highlighting "Your Preferences" in the navigation bar at the top of the page, clicking on "My Subscriptions," and checking the box next to "Clinical Integration Project" under the "Blogs and Project" section. You can also reach the "My Subscriptions" page here.

  • We invite you to send us links, information, dilemmas or "lessons learned" that you think your peers in the project might like to see on this blog.
  • Email me at oharas@advisory.com with anything you would like to see included.

As always, please email or call us if there is anything we can do to assist!

Sarah O'Hara

oharas@advisory.com

202-266-5819

Recent Posts

Beyond the dollars: Assessing stakeholder readiness for CI

on June 27, 2011  |  Permalink

Topics: Clinical Integration, Hospital-Physician Alignment, Physician Issues, Medicare, Reimbursement, Finance, Strategy

Sarah O'Hara, Health Care Advisory Board

A few weeks ago in this space, we discussed how potential program costs can influence an organization's decision to pursue a Clinical Integration (CI) strategy. But several other key challenges must also be considered as an organization plans for CI. Well-prepared organizations should feel confident that leadership and physicians are all aware of the business case for CI, aligned behind the effort, and able to participate fully in performance improvement. In this post--the second in our series on CI launch planning--we will discuss key internal and external strategic factors to consider while still in the CI planning phase. We are also seeking beta testers for our Clinical Integration Assessment Tool (set to go live in the next few weeks), which will help organizations determine their own level of CI readiness.

Continue reading:
Beyond the dollars: Assessing stakeholder readiness for CI

Showing you the money, up front: CMS weighs advance ACO payment

on June 17, 2011  |  Permalink

Topics: Clinical Integration, Hospital-Physician Alignment, Physician Issues, Medicare, Reimbursement, Finance, Payer and Regulatory Policy, Market Trends, Strategy

Sarah O'Hara, Health Care Advisory Board

Would advance payment from CMS encourage more organizations to participate in the Medicare Shared-Savings Program? Testing the waters with this idea, CMS has asked for comments on a proposed Advance Payment Initiative, in which organizations interested in forming an ACO, but lacking the capital to do so, could be fronted a portion of their future shared savings to support infrastructure investment costs. In a CMS-sponsored conference call earlier this week, several organizations weighed in, largely arguing that the effectiveness of advance payment will depend on how much money's made available when--and how much has to be paid back. Read on for more.

Continue reading:
Showing you the money, up front: CMS weighs advance ACO payment