Erik Halvorsen shares insights about an integrated delivery network.

AÂ BRIEF LOOK AT AN INTEGRATED DELIVERY NETWORK PRESENTED BY ERIK HALVORSEN

Introduction

Healthcare has changed a great deal in the past 50 years and current rising healthcare costs and consumer demand for better and more convenient services will certainly usher in a new era of how healthcare is delivered.

Integrated Delivery Network One particular organizational structure for delivering healthcare is known as an Integrated Delivery Network (IDN). While there is no absolute definition of what is and is not an IDN, basically it is a system of providers of care that provides health care services and offers a health insurance plan to patients in a defined geographic area. IDNs seek to achieve the goal of offering a seamless continuum of care at the lowest cost by keeping everything “in network�.

IDNs Are Nothing New One of the most well-known brands in the space is Kaiser Permanente, which emerged out of the industrial era nearly 80 years ago. IDNs like other traditional healthcare providers and hospital systems have primarily grown over the years via mergers and acquisitions. What’s is interesting is that the recent increase in IDN numbers and the growth of existing organizations is in part due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which nudged a shift from volume to value in regard to healthcare delivery.

IDNs Are Growing

According to Definitive Healthcare, there are nearly 1,700 accountable care organizations and nearly 1,000 IDNs. The largest accountable care organization is TMA PracticeEdge (Texas Medical Association – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas ACO) with a patient population of 5,000,000 and the largest IDN is Ascension Health with 2,300+ facilities.

As there are many IDNs, it is easy to identify the major ones since they share 5 common attributes per Decision Resources Group: Provider alignment development stage and physician data Continuum of care Clinical integration Regional presence Reimbursement

Common Attributes of Major IDNs

SOURCES OF INNOVATION

IDNs are not just “managed care” organizations focused on reducing costs— although clearly that is part of their mission.

These integrated delivery networks are increasingly sources of innovation and early adopters of new technology.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

TO READ THE BLOG, PLEASE VISIT ERIKHALVORSEN.NET.