Developing integrated referral channels for cardiology services

The author describes development of a vertical integration model for building patient referrals and revenue through channel management. The University of Alabama Hospital and Medical Center developed a program in which a satellite clinic was established in cooperation with a rural hospital in Alabama. This type of channel management enabled the medical center and hospital to increase outpatient capacity without affecting on-campus clinics and provided needed increases in the volume of up-channel cardiac services for revenue expansion.