The Affordable Care Act has driven the consolidation of hospitals and medical practices as well as changes in compensation, transforming the way community hospitals operate. One such change is the emerging trend of non-equity collaborative arrangements. These partnerships give hospital leaders the benefits of a larger network while maintaining independence. Indiana University Health, a nationally ranked healthcare system by U.S. News & World Report 17 years in a row, is seeing early success entering into these types of partnerships with hospitals in select areas throughout the country, starting with its leading-edge cardiovascular program.
“A strong cardiovascular surgery program is an important component of a full-service community hospital so it’s a great program for this type of partnership,” said IU Health Cardiovascular Service Line Executive VP Mary Baker. “It has helped hospitals differentiate in increasingly competitive markets.”
In the partnership, IU Health helps facilitate program growth through added or enhanced capabilities, strategic planning, outcomes management and supply chain savings. IU Health is currently operating this type of partnership for its cardiovascular program in Waukesha, Wisconsin and Columbus, Indiana with early positive endorsements from hospital leaders.
“Hospitals want to provide their communities with the highest levels of care, an affiliation with a major Academic Center assures them access to the most recent innovations and medical therapies,” said Co-Director of Cardiovascular Services at IU Health, Arthur Coffey, M.D.
