More and more healthcare organizations are finding that collaborative unions can be the ticket to impacting positive change with physicians, providers and patients. In fact, managed care has compelled all facets of healthcare to appreciate that there is much more power in numbers.
A few examples of effective healthcare partnerships were highlighted during a recent PRSA Health Academy Conference in Washington, D.C., themed "Integration, Legislation, Collaboration."
Jerry Franz, vice president of communications at the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and Darren Johnson, director of operations, South Valley Physician Group of Intermountain Health Care, were among the speakers on hand to discuss how their organizations benefitted from creative partnering and developing "truly integrated systems."
Certainly no stranger to forging strong partnerships, Franz spends 40 to 50 percent of his time developing strong partnerships for the ADA. He cited three primary considerations that should be explored before pursuing a partnership: when a company has limited resources, when there is the potential for a strategic fit and when collaborative marketing innovation might "spice things up if a program is going nowhere."
As an example of a well-executed effort with a healthcare organization, Franz noted the ADA's partnership with Newark, N.J.-based Prudential Healthcare. Since the ADA is always investigating new opportunities to strengthen its diabetes research resources and improve quality controls, Franz decided to approach Kelli Davis, Prudential's director of quality improvement, last year.
The ADA wanted to work with Prudential, Franz said, "to improve healthcare outcomes of diabetes patients, and Prudential wanted to work with ADA to receive expert consultation on communications strategy and improve their HEDIS [Health Plan Employer Data Info Set] scores."
The collaborative effort evolved into the Quality Improvement Intervention Project (QIIP) from September to December 1996 and set out to improve rates of diabetic retinal exams and pediatric immunization, key areas of early diabetes detection for ADA.
From Prudential's perspective the QIIP effort facilitated stronger ties with Prudential's providers and members through data-driven, evidence-based interventions. "This project helped us to identify root causes and tailor our intervention efforts," said Davis, who attributes the 30 to 70 percent increase in eye exam referrals to the program.
Enhanced Marketing
The alliance also enhanced Prudential's marketing ability to create patient surveys and studies that generated increased feedback, brought more mass audience perspective and garnered greater networking with organizations like the National Eye Institute.
The Benefits of Partnerships.Borrowed credibility: Consider ways you can flex your marketing muscle and lend greater integrity to your campaigns by partnering with another association, federal or state-run organization, or provider group. Access to influentials: By working with another group with mutual marketing interests, your combined voice is heard louder by key decision-makers (Capitol Hill, federal and state legislators, politicians, and consumer groups) Enhanced publicity/visibility: It's easier to bend the ear of the media on projects and promotions as a newly formed coalition or group because they may find a story in the new partnership as well as the cross-promotion. |
"We were really able to bring the puzzle pieces together," said Davis.
Much like a marriage, Franz analogized, "Successful partnerships go through a courtship-wedding-honeymoon-ever after phase. Depending on the strength of the union, the 'ever after' will lead to wedded bliss, separation or divorce."
Although it's still too soon to tell whether the ADA-Prudential marriage will end in wedded bliss, preliminary reports are suggesting a positive impact on Prudential's 1997 HEDIS reporting-year results.
As a prime example of "true system integration," Intermountain Health Care's Darren Johnson shared his insights on the benefits and challenges of forging strong relationships with area physicians.
IHC, which has vital roots in the Salt Lake Valley area, was formed as a hospital group by Mormons in 1975. In 1984, it started offering health plans and by 1993 -- physicians responding to managed care changes -- started the South Valley Physician Group of Intermountain Health Care.
"Physicians wanted to control their own destiny," explained Johnson, who was charged with the challenge of executing the goals of the physicians' group while maintaining harmony among the hospital group and health plan group.
Starting with 75 physicians in 22 practice locations, IHC developed a physician task force that would have its own board of directors and a lengthy list of goals.
It was up to Johnson to reel them into practicality while making sure that they still felt a strong sense of ownership. Johnson worked directly with the marketing group to support existing area practices and attract new ones.
"We worked with each of the physician groups on mailers, postcards, advertising and PR opportunities," said Johnson. By the end of the first year, the Physician Group swelled to 100 physicians.
Now over 350 physicians-strong, the Physician Group has matured into a well-oiled physician-driven component of IHC's integrated network. But the marketing challenges have evolved into more internal issues than external.
"Now we're focusing on strengthening relationships among the doctors in the group and coordinating efforts to better communicate with them throughout the whole process," said Johnson.
To this end, IHC has implemented a "New Physician Compensation Plan" that is work-level driven rather than insurance-carrier driven, a better screening process for hiring physicians, and more efficient equipment purchases.
Indeed, the biggest obstacle now for Johnson is providing physicians with the "benefits of a big corporation while minimizing the bureaucracy and running like a private practice."
Identifying Potential Partners
Potential healthcare partners can be other healthcare associations, the federal or state government, provider organizations and pharmaceutical companies, according to Franz.
In the past, the ADA has partnered with Pfizer, the National Diabetes Education Program and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). But Franz stresses that partnerships require: equality, shared and clear benefits, trust, integrity, mutual respect, empathy, senior management's blessing, qualified staff and resources.
In terms of establishing successful physician integration systems, Johnson highlighted the importance of understanding the distinct concerns of physicians in clinics vs. hospitals as they impact equipment purchase decisions and human resource needs. "There must be a constructive and rigorous feedback process firmly in place for this type of relationship to work."
(ADA, 703/299-2054; Prudential Healthcare, 770/801-7500; IHC, 801/269-4236)