Hospital Partnerships Increase Hospital Success
Written by Adam Groff
Partnering With Other Hospitals
When hospitals work together, it results in better patient care and a more involved, informed, and cooperative healthcare system.
Not only do physician and doctor resources improve when hospitals join forces, but the information sharing that results in joint efforts may actually lead to new and crucial health discoveries.
So, with partnerships and wellbeing in mind, here are just a few reasons why everyone benefits when hospitals work together.
Information Sharing
Patient confidentiality aside, when hospitals share health information with one another, it helps physicians and medical professionals better diagnose and treat patients. This is especially the case when one hospital specializes in a certain area of healthcare that another hospital doesn't.
And, when hospitals stop being competitors and start working together, the result is unparalleled patient care and a healthcare system that's well informed and up-to-date on health issues within the community and across the country.
All-Encompassing Referrals
When hospitals work together, healthcare networks expand.
And, when doctors and medical professionals are better able to refer to experts from other hospitals as opposed to being limited to their own, it opens new doors to collaboration, efficient diagnosing, and overall patient care.
This isn't to say that physicians aren't already allowed to refer patients to other hospitals. But, when hospitals work together to initiate referral programs, it results in a more inclusive network of possible referrals, which gives participating hospitals more options.
Technology Sharing
Not all hospitals are built the same when it comes to the most advanced types of healthcare technology.
And, when hospitals join forces, they're able to join resources as well. In other words, much like one hospital might have a health specialist that another doesn't, the same goes with specialty equipment and services.
Hospitals that share their knowledge as well as their resources are taking competition out of the equation and putting patients first, which is always beneficial.
Learning From Mistakes
Along with information sharing comes the possibility for hospitals that join forces to learn from one another's mistakes.
This is possibly one of the most important benefits of partnership considering misdiagnoses and medical mishaps happen frequently in the world of healthcare.
When doctors and other medical professionals are able to communicate from one hospital to the next about medical mistakes, it results in an overall improvement of healthcare procedures.
Hospital Partnership in Action
More and more hospitals nationwide are joining forces to improve healthcare practices and provide better care to patients.
Here are just a few hospitals that have already jumped on the collaboration bandwagon:
Hospitals 4 Health- Many area hospitals in Oregon have joined forces to create Hospitals 4 Health, which aims to improve clinical best practices as well as deliver effective, higher quality care to those in the region. For participating Oregon hospitals, the Hospitals 4 Health initiative is a promise to always put patients first.
Colorado Telehealth Network- CTN improves patient health in Colorado by encouraging area hospitals to join the Imaging Exchange Program. Through the program, hospitals in the region can quickly share patient health histories and diagnostic imagery, which greatly improves patient health services in the state.
Massachusetts Alliance- In terms of affiliations, two hospitals in Massachusetts, Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Massachusetts General, joined forces in order to increase their quality of care and improve infrastructure support between the two hospitals. And, although it's an official affiliation and not simply a partnership, both hospitals retain separate finances and advisory boards, which is a win-win for all involved.
It's plain to see that when hospitals team up, both patient care and the field of medicine experience a multitude of benefits.
About the Author
Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including marketing, Reputation.com reviews, and personal health.