Hospital Characteristics Associated with Clinically Integrated Network Participation.

Lead author and PhD candidate Emily Hague recently published an article in Medical Care along with UC Berkeley Public Health professors Amanda Brewster, Hector Rodriguez, Timothy Brown, and Stephen Shortell on hospital characteristics associated with clinically integrated network participation. Increased integration of physician organizations and hospitals into health systems has not necessarily improved clinical integration or patient outcomes. However, federal regulators have issued favorable opinions for clinically integrated networks (CINs) as a way to pursue coordination between hospitals and physicians. Hospital organizational affiliations, including independent practice associations (IPA), physician-hospital organizations (PHOs), and accountable care organizations (ACOs), may support CIN participation. No empirical evidence, however, exists about factors associated with CIN participation. Results suggest that CIN participation may be a response to integrative norms.