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Community Health Network Development

Does your community lack a synchronous provider health network to meet patient and employer needs?

A rural health network or community health network is a local, facility-based, preferred provider network that is used to provide a platform for direct-to-employer contracting and deployment of locally directed narrow networks with the various carriers.  The Affordable Care Act makes self-funding an attractive option. Consequent explosion of carrier-developed narrow network plans, more health systems across the country are developing their own network options for both business development and ‘revenue stream protection’ purposes.  Creating a strategy, infrastructure, and execution of a Community Health Network that best-suits your community is where we come in.

SHP’s involvement in the development includes:

  • Strategy development.
  • Network infrastructure development.
  • Network contracting.

SHP brings the capabilities to administer the necessary infrastructure development and contracting efforts for a successful community network deployment.

Specifically including project-based work and ongoing contract support. Details about the processes we take are below.

Strategy Development

Before moving forward with such a strategy, the operations and network management capabilities must be thoroughly assessed.

Key questions to ask that SHP can assess as well as implement and manage:

  • Is there a provider database in place to maintain required demographic information?
  • Are proper credentialing policies and procedures in place?
  • Are there sufficient reporting capabilities to supply monthly downloads to third-party administrators as required?
  • Do claims resolution capabilities, skill sets, and process exist?
  • Is there a help desk function for network member questions and issues?

Network Infrastructure Development

First, we look at how we can assist in determining market uses for such a strategy.

Feasibility and local conditions for:

  • Direct agreements with large employers.
  • Carrier agreements for fully insured products.
  • Health exchange products.
  • Medicaid Care Management Organization products.

While assessing such external conditions, we evaluate internal feasibility as well:

  • Evaluate CIN market strategy in line with overall growth strategy of Health System.
  • Determine other health plan ancillary relationships. These are necessary to effectively reach market with single stop approach:
    • Third party administrator(s).
    • Disease management/high cost case management.
    • Stop loss carriers.

Network Contracting

Once the strategy and framework have been developed, we then move forward to contract execution:

  • Contract with payers to deploy relevant market products.
  • Negotiate agreements as appropriate with selected payers (both direct and carrier agreements).
  • Model rates to support negotiations, for both hospital and physicians.

Developing a Community oriented network strategy is a very smart, financially sound, and patient focused initiative.  Going down the due diligence path will force your organization to review internal processes that will benefit all involved.  It’s certainly a worthwhile endeavor and one SHP is prepared to assist.

Contact us to learn more and receive a quote.

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