The Cleveland Health Network: a new integrated delivery system

CHN and its subsidiary CHN MCO have significantly impacted the Cleveland market place in the two years since their inception. CHN will continue to expand geographically with hospital and physician partners who are committed to providing quality care in the most cost-effective manner. Medical management will continue to be the central focus and over-riding success of the CHN MCO, making this organization extremely attractive to the payer market. The integrated CHN and its medical management focus could become a model for other integrated delivery systems. As the market place continues to experience an increase in managed care and more consolidation of healthcare providers (and in some cases, mergers with payers), more integrated delivery systems will emerge. Senior- and mid-level administrators and managers with operational responsibilities need to take into consideration how their patient access systems will need to be modified to meet the demands of managed care through the formation of integrated delivery systems. How patients access the systems is of critical importance in ensuring financial success, ease of access for the patient, and tracking of appropriate medical care.