New guide helps clinicians considering joining physician-led integrated health systems
TUESDAY, Oct. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A guide has been developed to assist physicians considering joining a physician-led integrated health system, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Former AMA President James Rohack, M.D., helped write the guide with input from AMA staff in a collaborative effort by the AMA, the AMGA (formerly the American Medical Group Association), and the Medical Group Management Association. The guide is designed primarily for residents nearing the end of their training and physicians wanting to change practice setting and offers practical tips on evaluating a system.
A physician-led integrated health system is one that features physicians in leadership roles at the highest levels and offers integrated primary and specialty services. Other attributes include coordinated care across multiple conditions, providers, and settings; use of shared, patient-centered data; and implementation of clinical care processes using guidelines, pathways, protocols checklists, and similar tools. Tips offered in the guide include asking the right questions; evaluating a system in areas such as financial health or compensation models, quality initiatives, and information technology; and performing a self-assessment.
“The guide has a lot of tips on how you assess systems,” Rohack said in the article. “One of the principles to make sure of is that, you, on the frontlines caring for patients, have a voice and influence on policies and processes that are going to make your ability to care for patients better.”
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