In response to rising patient acuity and increased financial pressure to improve quality outcomes, hospitals and post-acute care providers are collaborating more than ever to control costs and raise quality. Many providers are doing so through post-acute consortiums—organizations of acute and post-acute providers dedicated to cross-continuum problem solving.

These consortiums allow providers from different settings to collaborate on a regular basis to diagnose challenges in care delivery and to work together to find and implement new solutions.

This toolkit offers guidance on how to build and operate a successful consortium, including sample resources and templates that you can use to develop and improve your own.

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1. Determine consortium structure

The first step to building a successful consortium is to define the breadth of the group's services and membership. Most consortiums occur in one of three forms: consortiums that include only a preferred provider network, those that include multiple levels of care in addition to a preferred network, and those that include all post-acute providers in a community from a given sector.

Your optimal structure should depend on your familiarity with cross-continuum collaboration, the level of competition in the market, and your goals for the consortium. Learn more on p. 8-9.

• Worksheet to Determine Post-Acute Consortium Type (p. 10)
  Use this worksheet to analyze your market activity and goals to determine the type of consortium to pursue.
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• Guide for Including Non-Network Participants (p. 11)
  This guide will help you identify which organizations to include from outside your preferred provider network, if any.

2. Recruit appropriate attendees

The second step, once you've determine the type of consortium that is best for you, is to invite individual representatives from each of the identified organizations. Typically, this includes a mix of strategic and operational leaders, clinical leaders, and care management staff. Learn more on p. 14.

• Sample Invitation Scripting (p. 15)
  Use our scripting to send out an invitation to participants you would like to include in the consortium.
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• Agreement for Participation (p. 16)
  Include this agreement for participation along with all invitations. This agreement will help ensure that participants come in to the consortium with a clear set of expectations, and a willingness to share with and learn from their peers.

3. Run effective meetings

Once you've defined your structure and invited attendees, you must determine how to run effective meetings that will help the consortium achieve its goals. Effective consortium meetings include participant perspective in agenda-setting, define an agenda for each meeting, and keep participants engaged in and between meetings. Learn more on p. 18.

• Participant Survey Template (p. 19)
  Solicit feedback from your participants to determine future agenda items using this sample template.
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• Sample Consortium Agenda (p. 20)
  Review this itinerary of a sample network meeting as you put together your own meeting agenda.
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• Patient Journey Mapping Activity Guide (p. 23)
  Use this activity guide in a meeting to facilitate group problem solving.
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• Template for Note Taking (p. 26)
  Assign a note taker for each meeting, and have him or her use this template to take targeted notes.

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