Every day, in hospitals throughout the country, physicians across service lines work independently within separate departments. That can present challenges in coordination and communication. In this model, they may overlook opportunities to collaborate to optimize efficiencies, improve patient hand-offs, and improve the patient experience. Unfortunately, this independent framework is widespread and can lead to worse outcomes for patients — but not in hospitals that partner with TeamHealth.
The TeamHealth Approach
Our portfolio approach to service line integration incorporates a unique model of operation where critical clinical service lines like emergency medicine and hospital medicine are integrated across a single strategic partner. In this framework, as the patient moves through their care experience, communication and collaboration ensure that delays and redundancies are minimized. The traditional “silos” that impede quality and efficiency are gone, empowering clinicians to work together to provide better care.
This clinical integration model is different from the average model of operation and provides clinicians with clear incentives to work together for the patient’s benefit.
Clinical Integration Efficiencies
We’ve learned that a seamless, integrated approach to patient care delivers the best results for our hospital partners and the patients we serve. More than that, the clinician experience improves, retention rates increase, nursing staff satisfaction improves, and greater operational efficiencies are unlocked.
The success of TeamHealth’s clinical integration model speaks for itself:
- In one Las Vegas Hospital, specifically within the Emergency and Hospital Medicine departments, there was a 400% increase in discharges before 11 a.m., a 2.7-day decrease in the average length of stay, and a 57% decrease in Emergency Department hold hours.
- Inside an Alabama health system, within their ED/HM departments, ambulance diversion hours were reduced by 60%, inpatient length of stay was reduced by 11%, and they improved their Medicare Case Mix Index by 5.8%.
About TeamHealth
As one of the nation’s largest integrated physician practices, TeamHealth stands alone in our ability to deliver on the financial, clinical, and operational advantages of clinical integration, successfully managing the clinical portfolio within hundreds of leading hospitals and health systems across the country.