Community Health Systems, one of the largest publicly-traded hospital systems in the country, and Cleveland Clinic have announced a strategic alliance aimed at allowing the two organizations to share clinical information to improve care and operational efficiency.
The alliance, announced on Monday, will allow CHS’ 135 community hospitals to improve their clinical approach via Cleveland Clinic’s expertise in medical specialties and tertiary care while Cleveland Clinic will be able to broaden the reach of its healthcare programs into the communities served by CHS facilities.
“As we face an unprecedented transformation in healthcare, we need to adapt and embrace change. This new relationship is reflective of Cleveland Clinic’s culture of collaboration and desire to exchange knowledge,” said Toby M. Cosgrove, MD, CEO and president of Cleveland Clinic in a press release. “As healthcare reform moves forward, we remain focused and committed to providing the highest quality, value and efficiency of care to patients locally and nationally.”
Initially, the five-year collaboration will focus on three distinct areas:
- Quality Alliance. The Cleveland Clinic will work with CHS to establish clinical integration programs at its affiliated hospitals. Using the Cleveland Clinic’s established Quality Alliance model, the organizations will create a framework in which physicians can share best practices and capture, report and compare data in a standardized format. Over time, recorded data will support predictive modeling for patient outcomes and reducing the cost of care.
- Cardiovascular Services. Cleveland Clinic's Heart & Vascular Institute will assess selected CHS-affiliated hospitals for the opportunity to apply the institute’s expertise in cardiovascular services to enhance the quality and data infrastructure of programs with CHS-affiliated hospitals.
- Clinical and Operational Services. The organizations will explore a broad array of other engagements to share best practices and produce synergies. These may include telemedicine initiatives, second opinion services for physicians and patients, complex care coordination and other practices in care and cost containment.
“Combining the strengths, resources, and the unique attributes of our organizations is a bold step that will benefit patients across the many communities we serve,” said Wayne T. Smith, chairman, president and CEO of Community Health Systems, in a prepared statement. “The future requires courage and teamwork. We are headed in the right direction to achieve meaningful enhancements in clinical quality and affordable care.”
Cleveland Clinic runs one the country’s most renowned research medical centers and has eight locations in the U.S. and Canada. The organization has been actively working to improve its clinical operations and efficiency. Just last month, it announced a joint venture with VHA aimed at purchasing efficiency and last year was tapped by Wal-Mart as a center of excellence for cardiac care, one of only a handful of hospitals in the country enrolled in the retailer's program that provides 100 percent coverage to employees nationwide for the cost of travel and care for specific conditions.
[See also: Cleveland Clinic, VHA form purchasing venture]