Surviving healthcare reform with collaboration, partnership

by Ninfa M. Saunders Last month the Medical Center of Central Georgia (MCCG) in Macon, Ga., and Houston Healthcare (HHC) in Warner Robins, Ga., announced to their employees and the public their plan to form a strategic partnership. Although the announcement was very surprising to our employees and our two communities, the idea of our two health systems collaborating is sensible and necessary. Changes in the national model for healthcare delivery, along with our commitment to focus on quality and safety in tandem with population health management, led MCCG and HHC to reevaluate the nature of our relationship. Partnerships such as ours are not as prevalent in our region--this area has not coalesced in the same speed around strategic alliances as others in the United States have done. That is, however, changing. Additionally, competing strategic priorities have slowed down many of our partnership efforts. The region is now poised to embrace meaningful vertical and horizontal partnerships, and MCCG and HHC are pleased to lead the way. The recent changes in the healthcare industry led us to examine the way we do business, and ask ourselves what must be done to ensure our longevity and viability. There also was some concern in the Warner Robins area, home of Robins Air Force Base, about the Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC). A comprehensive cooperative medical community is a key factor that BRAC commissioners examine, so a partnership between our two hospit...
Source: hospital impact - Category: Health Managers Authors: Source Type: blogs