How satisfied are hospital systems with their ownership of retail clinics?

Retail clinics--while innovative--can no longer be considered a new model of healthcare delivery, as an increasing number of hospitals and health systems now own them. The purpose of this article is to explore the extent to which hospital systems are satisfied with their ownership of retail clinics. In terms of operational challenges, respondents to our survey, administered to representatives from 19 health systems, were relatively satisfied with clinic staffing and their relationship with the retailers regarding lease terms, store locations, and shopper demographics. They expressed mostly neutral levels of satisfaction with regulations and laws related to retail clinics and low satisfaction with insurance reimbursement and clinics' seasonal patterns. The two areas that received the lowest respondent satisfaction ratings were patient volume and response to marketing initiatives. When asked to share their perceptions of their organization's satisfaction with various strategic aspects of retail clinic ownership, respondents revealed that the clinics were achieving several important strategic goals, such as improved access, increased referrals, defense against competitors, and increased brand exposure. They indicated overall dissatisfaction with profitability and cost-reduction outcomes. We conclude that serious operational challenges and strategic threats must be overcome if retail clinics are to be a successful service line for hospitals and health systems.

When a health system develops its own road map

Key considerations facing a hypothetical and typical health system as it transitions to value-based payment provide a guide for systems as they undertake this transition. The health system's first step is to review its current environment and strategies and the building blocks it has in place. Next, the system needs to add more building blocks, build a financial cushion, and revise targets and dashboards. Next steps include testing value-based payment contracting, realigning incentives, implementing new care management strategies, and communicating extensively. All of these steps will be unique to each organization.

How business intelligence can improve value

Case studies of three healthcare organizations reinforce the premise that business intelligence--the ability to convert data into actionable information for decision making--is critical to demonstrating improved value.