Comanagement as an Alignment Tool

Thursday, August 20, 2015 | MedAxiom

Excerpted from an article originally published in the January/February 2015 issue of Cardiac Interventions Today magazine.

Today, because of incentives and payment models concordant with health care reform, combined with the employment trend in cardiology, the comanagement approach is becoming more prevalent as an alignment tool and physician compensation component.

The goals of the comanagement contract are straightforward: To create alignment between hospitals and their physicians to support the goals of the hospital system. This joint approach is also a tremendous physician engagement tool, because it creates clarity in organizational objectives and requires all parties to acknowledge the value of physician input in a strategic and meaningful way.

Read the full article http://citoday.com/2015/02/comanagement-as-an-alignment-tool/

The Six Keys to Comanagement Success

1. The hospital and the physicians pursuing a comanage­ment agreement must have a shared vision of success.
2. Physician leadership and collaborating administrators will make or break the program.
3. Diligence is required to determine meaningful perfor­mance factors and the most impactful improvement opportunities.
4. A defined structure in which a regular and frequent dialog between physicians and administrators takes place and a collaborative culture is developed.
5. Goals that are clear and have been tested to ensure that performance can be measured accurately.
6. Assessment by appropriate legal and valuation third parties to ensure compliance with laws concerning hospital and physician relationships.